Episode Transcript
[00:00:01] Speaker A: The Rocking Review Podcast hosted by J.
[00:00:09] Speaker B: Rock Root.
[00:00:20] Speaker A: Welcome everyone to the third episode of the Rocking Review Podcast. I am your gracious host, J. Rockrude. And today for the first time in the Rocking Review Podcast, we have a special guest here today. Tell them who you are, man.
[00:00:43] Speaker B: My name is Lucas McGarry. I'm a junior here at Oswego and I've been watching wrestling for a very big chunk of my life. So I can confidently say that I'll be able to talk with Mr. J. Rock brood here.
[00:00:57] Speaker A: Yeah, I'm super hyped about this. This is the first ever guest that we've had on the show. We got a little bit of stuff to go over because the title of the episode is Double Chunk Double Feature Monday because we got two massive pay per views that happened within the last two weeks. And of course, Thanksgiving break. I hope everybody listening had an amazing Thanksgiving. Hope you got all your stuffings and everything in between. All good with you. And we are going to talk about first AEW Full Gear that happened. That was the first pay per view that happened during the break and it left with a lot of questions, wouldn't you say?
[00:01:43] Speaker B: Yeah, it was. Every single, every single time they end a show with Moxley, it's always just question marks on top of question marks. So I feel like their AW is in such an interesting like spot with this story because they can realistically go.
[00:01:58] Speaker A: Anywhere, I think, and they can, and they can go anywhere if the creative was down to a science. But it's really not. It's just the fact of them trying to figure out, okay, what's the best way to spicen up product with continuing with our top guys that, you know, from day one we always like like a Daniel Garcia or, you know, Jon Moxley. So they're really trying to figure stuff out with that. And then we'll go into some controversy that happened also during Full Gear weekend with the one and only absolute Ricky Starks. And of course the events that led to him at first being announced for some game changer wrestling shows, but then immediately being pulled from those exact same shows because of one indie superstar's comments on Tony Khan and his business. And then finally we'll end with WWE Survivor Series War Games. The third year they've brought War Games to the main roster. And I just gotta say, even with as big of a show as Survivor Series is, I really did not see any of the hype. What do you think?
[00:03:23] Speaker B: In what way?
[00:03:25] Speaker A: I see it as the fact of this was a very rushed product because they needed to continue with a lot of different stories, but the pieces were not falling together. I don't want to say it was like a AEW type thing where they rushed into a storyline and then started to announce it. I mean, by God, about a week before the show, they only had three main matches and it was the world title. And then two men and women's war games. And then they added the two championship matches, which by the way, we'll get to those. Those were actually really, really nice. And I believe one of them was the match of the night.
But really I just didn't see that this was a fully thought out process. I think it was very rushed. But we'll, we'll talk about that toward the end of the show. Real quick. I know that you said you have been watching wrestling for a very long time, but I'll probably do this for any other guests that possibly come onto the show. What was your earliest wrestling memory that you can think of?
[00:04:31] Speaker B: Oh, God. Oh, wow.
So I don't, I don't know how old I was, but I know I was really young and it was. Excuse me. It was when I got into wrestling. My dad just randomly took me an episode, took me to an episode of Monday Night Raw. And I remember seeing. I saw Cena because he was there every single day, every week. I saw, I saw Cena, I saw Orton, I saw. I saw a couple big time players and like Cena and. Or were the ones I really remember. But after that I got.
[00:05:06] Speaker A: Now may I. Now may I. Sorry to interrupt. Was it Baldorton or was it.
[00:05:11] Speaker B: I think it was right after Baldor. Okay, so this was like 2010, 2011.
[00:05:17] Speaker A: Okay. Oh, okay. So this was.
[00:05:20] Speaker B: That's probably my.
[00:05:21] Speaker A: But this was. I'll just say this was before Beard. Beard Orton is what I call it.
[00:05:28] Speaker B: Yes, Beard.
[00:05:28] Speaker A: Or because Beard Orton came around.
[00:05:30] Speaker B: I would have been more than 2013. I couldn't have been more than seven at the time. Yeah, that's when I got into it.
[00:05:37] Speaker A: It was. Yeah, I think I just remember it the earliest, the earliest memory I remember having.
And it was mostly my dad was watching and just remembering the poster, the promotional poster for Backlash 2008. And that was, I believe Taker was the poster.
And that's when he was facing Edge at the time.
But that was, that was like one of the first things I remember.
I went to. I went to a couple of different live shows. The first ever television show and so far it really, it's the only ever television show I went to was actually the debut after the return of the brand split in 2016, I went to the very first Smackdown show that was in Buffalo, New York, and I remember being at the Key bank arena, and I just remember seeing a bunch of people like AJ Styles and Cena and Bray.
[00:06:48] Speaker B: That was such a great time in smackdown. Oh, my God.
[00:06:51] Speaker A: Yeah, it was.
[00:06:52] Speaker B: It was a wrestler.
[00:06:53] Speaker A: It was a rejuvenation period for people that were stuck in the same PG era, but they could still have the characters and brand new characters be developed on the two different shows and create a more balanced separation.
[00:07:11] Speaker B: It's so crazy because, like, smackdown at that time was so good and Raw really struggled like that whole period.
[00:07:18] Speaker A: And you know who I believe really saved smackdown is Mario Maro. Anela. When they first brought him in to commentate for smackdown, that was so big.
[00:07:28] Speaker B: I watched all of nxt and looking back on it now that, like, NXT is like a whole new brand black and gold nxt. I'm so, so glad that I was able to watch. And, like, I sat down for every single episode of nxt and at one point that was the only thing I was watching.
[00:07:46] Speaker A: And it was. And it was incredible because it started out as just a network show. The network show. It was just the network show that.
[00:07:51] Speaker B: You know, right when I got network, yes. When I started watching nxt, I was like, wow, this is really, really good stuff.
[00:07:57] Speaker A: It's because they had all the indie stars that a lot of the people that were more of the mainstream wrestling, like, majorly I was at that time. Since then, I've grown into looking at more indie wrestling, like Game Changer Wrestling and Revolver and Prestige and other east coast and west coast promotions.
And I started to appreciate them a lot more because a lot of those people really brought in who are now the main stars of wwe, whether you look at somebody that started up in Ring of Honor and PWG, like Kevin Owens or Sami Zayn.
And really that's what it was during Black and Gold is it was all of those indie guys rolled up to one, whether you was Gargano, Cole Ciampa. And then you had some of the women coming in, and that's really, like, where I believe women were starting to get their break, because before then we were just resorted to nonchalant divas, competitions and other things like that. And then NXT came along, and then you had people like Charlotte Bailey, Becky, Sasha, and they really is, in my.
[00:09:13] Speaker B: Opinion, just like, right off the bat. I think NXT is the best women's vision right now.
[00:09:17] Speaker A: Right now.
[00:09:17] Speaker B: And I believe they do, but they're always just the best. I don't know why because some of the people that are on the main roster now from nxt, but it's just.
[00:09:26] Speaker A: Different and you know, some people now who are on the main roster really have not seen the same success as they did in black and gold. One of the biggest ones I think I could think about is Shayna Baszler. Shayna Baszler has yet to have a world title and that pisses me off. And now with the brand new women's championships coming in, I am hoping that she at least now wins.
[00:09:51] Speaker B: The Pure Fusion Collective. I barely even see them anymore.
[00:09:55] Speaker A: I don't even freaking remember their name. When I first, the first episode if you hear I didn't even know which one that was. I just said the group would start Baszler and deville I guess. Yeah, it's just because they have just downgraded a lot of the women over there and it really doesn't seem like it matters. But NXT now you got the new rookies like Stephanie Vere and Julia and now bringing in Jordan Grace who I've been looking at for such a long time and she's going to be a game changer.
[00:10:25] Speaker B: I watched like when I saw Julia and Vair were signed, I watched a bunch of their stuff from Mexico and Japan and they're just so good. It's really, really, really scary how good they are. Like they could already be on the main roster. There's nowhere to put them. That's why they're in nxt.
[00:10:42] Speaker A: It's the same thing every single time you hear about signing coming from Mexico or aew they're like oh, it's going to be started in NXT and they're going to be part of chase you and it's just like it's to build them up so that way they understand a brand new market. But we will get on with that and we will start off with full gear.
So first up I'm going to talk about the one match on the pre show. Everybody wanted, everybody wanted this match, the pre show match that had probably more viewers than any other dynamite episode this entire month.
Big AJ justice vs. QT Marshall what did you think when this match got announced for the pre show at I.
[00:11:31] Speaker B: Was just kind of like I was, I was so happy because at this point AEW has fully already given up. It looks like I don't even. But it's, but it, it doesn't matter because this guy on the pre show, this guy's mainstream got the second biggest pop of the entire night, only behind Daniel Garcia winning the TNT title.
[00:12:00] Speaker A: And it was the third most watched thing for wrestling of all of 2024. Number one being Joe Hendry, which people have said he's fallen off and he's already.
[00:12:10] Speaker B: I haven't seen injury in a minute.
[00:12:11] Speaker A: He's already spoiled that he's probably going to make it into the Rumble this year.
The second one being taker at WrestleMania with the Rock and now with the Costco guys being in aew, which I feel like that's the only plus that they got taken out of this pay per view was the fact that they had this guy who is getting millions and millions of views and several people are just following him and his family doing the exact same stuff every single week. And they don't grow tired of it. And this is what, you know, the Gen Z type of humor is, is they will just find out something that sticks and they will just carry it on and it's one big meme for him. But anyways, before anything started, the Rizzler got his own entrance. Lucas.
[00:13:05] Speaker B: Yeah, that was. It was really, really funny that the Rizzler came out and then Paul White came out right afterwards and home.
[00:13:13] Speaker A: White just guided him down the entranceway.
[00:13:16] Speaker B: Like a little school that like the next day or on Monday. And I had to do some math or something. And two days ago, he was holding hands with a big show at full year.
[00:13:26] Speaker A: And the. And the thing is, the dude, he's 8 years old and his entire stick is rubbing his double chin and everybody goes crazy about it. This man shows up. He sometimes doesn't even show up. With the other two being Big justice and AJ justice, he doesn't show up with them. He just shows up there, does the chin stroke, does the Rizzler face, and that's it. And he probably. I don't know if he'd be making more than, you know, what those two are making. But anyways, AJ came down and so did qt. QT started off mocking AJ signature dance, you know, with the muscles and everything like that. An early takedown exchange to. Crowd started chanting, you still got it.
[00:14:15] Speaker B: Yeah, because he's apparently, he's like a real.
[00:14:17] Speaker A: Yeah, he was like 20 years ago, for 20 years. I saw that.
[00:14:22] Speaker B: And I saw like he had wrestled on the Indies. I'm like, wow. So this isn't like just a joke match. This guy is that real wrestler.
[00:14:28] Speaker A: His last is awesome. His last professional match was in 2022. So since then he's made Sporadic appearances, but he is no stranger from pro wrestler. AJ leapt over the top rope with a stunning dive to the outside. Again, back in the ring, Marshall briefly gained control with a kick through the ropes and a snap ddt. AJ began to hulk up and fire back with punches. The crowd rallied behind him as he delivered a spine buster and a diving clothesline, which led to a near fall and another power slam. They went to the top rope where QT tried to push Ayyjayy off, but Ayyjayy came back on and he delivered a beautiful superplex. So about this time, this is where I'm saying, okay, he's somewhat okay, he knows what he's doing. Moshe refused to stay down, countering with an impressive handspring Payla kick, followed by a diamond cutter, but only got a two.
Following that, he decided to go to the outside near the timekeepers area. And it looked like he was going to believe. He wasn't looking to attack the rizzler, but he was gonna try to grab a chair. And then all of a sudden, Paul White, Big show just stands up and, you know, just shoes off. Marshall. Marshall goes back into the ring and then AJ was able to keep him down and he was about to go for the power bomb when all of a sudden, one of QT Marshall's Factory members, Aaron Solo. Did you know who this guy was?
[00:16:01] Speaker B: I have no idea who you're talking about right now.
[00:16:03] Speaker A: It's one of the many dark wrestlers that they had, AEW Dark wrestlers and I believe another product of the Factory, which is started by Cody Rhodes. QT looked to capitalize on the distraction. All of a sudden, Big justice. That's the 11 year old, that's the other one who's talking about chicken bakes all the time. And he comes in, he charges up in the corner and he delivers this one of the worst spears to a fully grown adult. This man is 11 years old. His hair looks like he uses just for men almost every day because no way a kid that age has that kind of black hair. And also just he looks like he's got Botox, just like AJ does.
After that, the ref finally got back into the ring. Ayyjayy delivered a powerbomb for the 1, 2, 3. Now one of the other parts in this match that came out of full gear was the fact that AJ suffered a broken foot during the match.
[00:17:10] Speaker B: Yeah, I saw that too. Crazy. The fact that he's that old and he was able to just. He did not let a broken foot squander his opportunity at a crazy, crazy match and crazy views. And I think that's really, really impressive that he had a fully broken foot like pretty early in the match too.
[00:17:30] Speaker A: Yes, it was. It was after one of the dives, either on the outside or in the inside.
[00:17:36] Speaker B: Wow.
[00:17:37] Speaker A: I. My take was. I thought it was fake because this was just going to elevate aew being like we got the strongest people in. And even the content creator wrestler came in and he did that because I looked it back over. I don't know if I even saw a limp from him. Maybe I did.
[00:17:55] Speaker B: You also got to think adrenaline, though. Adrenaline is a real thing. And if you have adrenaline pumping through you.
[00:18:03] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:18:03] Speaker B: You might not even feel that broken foot till you're half in the locker room 30 minutes after your match.
[00:18:08] Speaker A: Believe it or not, that was not the best match on the pre show. The best match on the pre show, which got three and three quarter stars on the wrestling observer, was the Fatal four Way, which included the Beast Mortos, Buddy Matthews, Commander and Dante Martin.
[00:18:31] Speaker B: Yeah, I. I watched this with a couple of my friends and like three of them really don't watch wrestling. And all of a sudden it's the pre show and these four guys are making my four friends who really don't watch wrestling like they're fully locked into this match. So it was so cool. Yeah, I love matches like that.
[00:18:52] Speaker A: Yeah. I'm still very worried and not very convinced on the Beast Mortos.
[00:18:58] Speaker B: Yeah. I don't know why they're giving him such a crazy push. I am. I'm a little confused with what they're doing with him because I really haven't seen anything crazy about it.
[00:19:08] Speaker A: Well, the guy, the guy that he was feuding with beforehand. Hologram.
[00:19:13] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, yeah. He got injured.
[00:19:16] Speaker A: They're just full of odd wrestlers. And then Tony Khan basically will play dress up with all the wrestlers and then produce what he thinks is a decent television show, but not really most for the fans. We'll kick off into the main show with the Fatal four way tag match for the AEW Tag Team Championships where we had the private party, the acclaimed the Kings of the Black Throne, which is part of House of Black, which was Brody King and Malachi Black.
And then the Outrunners. What do you know about the Outrunners?
[00:19:56] Speaker B: Really not that much. I know they just remind me of the 80s every single time I see them. Like they're big.
[00:20:02] Speaker A: It's their whole gimmick.
[00:20:03] Speaker B: I know. Like, it's just all. Every single time I see them, I'm just reminded that like Hulk Hogan is a wrestler.
[00:20:09] Speaker A: Exactly. It's everything that Hulk Hogan really got pushed on back in the 80s and the 90s and having that, you know, you know, that type of old school spirit. It's one of the weirdest thing. But we'll pick off during the entrances of the acclaimed. I don't know if you saw this, but during the pre match rap that Matt Caster does recently they have been teasing the dissension of the acclaimed, which.
[00:20:40] Speaker B: I think is super annoying.
[00:20:42] Speaker A: Yeah, Caster. I think Caster believes that he is good in its own mind with this best wrestler in the world.
[00:20:50] Speaker B: Well yeah, I was going to say this gimmick is just that like he's really, really just too confident in himself. Calling himself the best wrestler in the world or whatever.
[00:21:00] Speaker A: When Bowens outshines him like night and.
[00:21:03] Speaker B: Day, it's, it's, it's a little weird. I don't, I don't totally get what he's trying to do.
[00:21:09] Speaker A: I really thought nothing of this match.
This was actually ranked lower than the Big Boom AJ and QT Marshall. This was ranked two and a quarter stars.
The Big Boom AJ match got two and a half stars.
[00:21:27] Speaker B: David. Dave is being very critical of everything recently. Like usually he's just, he has his favorites. Usually no, but that's the thing. Because he hates wwe but he loves AEW regardless because it's all of his.
[00:21:38] Speaker A: Indie wrestlers that he's either saw in Japan or Ring of Honor or Exactly.
[00:21:44] Speaker B: Even like at aew, he never ranks anything that low.
[00:21:47] Speaker A: No, the biggest surprise is he ranked half of a five star match to a content creator. Talked about double choke chocolate cookie. I'm like, how, how do you give this guy two and a half stars.
[00:22:00] Speaker B: When it was two and a half stars worth of wrestling?
[00:22:04] Speaker A: It was two and a half stars because they, they worked with the crowd.
[00:22:06] Speaker B: That's like they told the story middle, like middle of the star rating like two and a half. That that's I guess quality, which is like it was quality. Like I can't like if there weren't, there weren't any botches, I, I didn't see any botches.
[00:22:24] Speaker A: I didn't see that. That was good. There was nothing really.
[00:22:27] Speaker B: So that, that's like a big plus especially for a content creator. You'd expect there to be botches.
[00:22:31] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:22:32] Speaker B: So I think for them to produce a full like pretty lengthy match too. Like it wasn't like it was a five minute match. It was like 15 minutes, maybe more. It was, it was pretty Solid. So I think two and a half is deserved.
[00:22:45] Speaker A: It's. It's rumored that every single time they put the camera back on to the rizzler and he started doing the wrist face. Every single time, every single time they.
[00:22:57] Speaker B: Pan the camera to him, he'd realize the camera was on and then immediately started just, just hitting the wrist face.
[00:23:02] Speaker A: The COVID art of this episode, actually I screenshot it a part when he wasn't doing the wrist face and he like looked like he was dazed and confused. There's one time they cut back at him and he wasn't prepared to do it and he just looked, he's just like, I don't know what's going on. Like he totally was like oblivious to everything. We'll go to the next match. And this was MJF versus Roderick Strong. This has been a storyline that has built up ever since MJF came back from his shoulder injury that he faced last year. And really I believe that MJF has really lost his touch. MJF has lost any control that he's gotten with a crowd. And you know, most of this has been because he's been away shooting movies and everything like that which he talked about in a pre match promo before he got into the ring. But the fact is, is like MJF used to be one of the top guys ever and recently they ESPN released the top 30 wrestlers under 30. Did you see who was number one over MJF?
I didn't see it but you will not believe Zipron Breaker.
I wish it was dirty Dom Mysterio.
[00:24:19] Speaker B: See that was my second guess. And that's not even bad. Like I'm not, I'm not upset because.
[00:24:23] Speaker A: Dom Mysterio, even though he at all, even those for two years and people thought that he would lose steam, that was me.
[00:24:30] Speaker B: I was one of them. I was such a Dom hater. I, I thought he was once he.
[00:24:34] Speaker A: Got with living right back up.
[00:24:35] Speaker B: I thought he, I thought Dom was a product of nepotism. I really didn't think he was that good in the ring. He turned heel and I was still just like eh, I really don't care. He's super bland. But recently just like the fact that he was a heel and then at SummerSlam he turned more heel.
[00:24:57] Speaker A: Yeah, I don't like.
[00:24:58] Speaker B: No, he wasn't a good guy. When he turned on Ria he was already healed and the fact that he was able to turn more heel just like be even worse. Like when he was with Rhea you could at least like accept him because Everyone loved Ria at that point.
[00:25:12] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:25:12] Speaker B: So for him to like turn even more heel than he already was, which was terrible. So, so funny and genuinely one of like the best producers of heal work and at least the last year, he.
[00:25:26] Speaker A: He is definitely one of the biggest heel characters.
[00:25:29] Speaker B: So was MTA 2.
[00:25:31] Speaker A: MJF was number two. So Dom did replace him. I was very surprised. I remember when I got that notification that they that Dom took number one. I said, there is absolutely no way. My dad looked at me. He's like absolutely rigged because he, he thought that was wrong. And I was like, no, Dom always is going to have the, the upper edge of being one of the most hated heels in the business. We'll pick up in the middle of here. Back in the ring, Strong went for a sick kick, but MJF countered, sending Strong over the top rope, catching him in a donkey kick to the face. In a nod to his rival, Adam Cole, MJF set up for a Panama sunrise. But Strong countered into a midair backbreaker for a near two count. MJF targeted the injured hand, even biting at it. But Strong managed to hit his signature end of heartache for what seemed like the victory. But MJF's foot got to the bottom rope and broke the pin. Strong tried to keep the momentum with another running knee, but MJF rolled to the outside when Strong dragged him back into the ring. He then delivered a sick kick and went for the pin. But immediately he decided to grab and wrench on his arm and he went for the salt of the earth arm breaker. And with pain being too much for the injured hand, Strong tapped out. Immediately after the match, MJF decided to attack more of Roddy's hand and he got a chair trapped in the arm of Strong and then proceeded to stomp it. Only then for Adam Cole to make the late save and run MJF out of the ring into the crowd. And then Kyle O'Reilly and the rest of the conglomeration came out and O'Reilly began to argue with Cole, saying that have came to save his brother.
This was a decent match. I other than the botch spot, I was like wondering why on earth did Cole not come out before he hit Strong's hand with the chair. And it just proves that this entire Adam Cole MJF rivalry could have never taken the dark turn that it did if there had not been the injury to Adam Cole about this.
[00:28:00] Speaker B: It was, oh my gosh, that rivalry was so good. I genuinely over the summer, like during that summer friendship thing that they had going on. I was like this is the best storyline in wrestling, like period on both sides. Because at this time wrestling for WWE was kind of in a pause because it was summertime, so Roman wasn't really working and Cody was feuding with like Brock Lesnar. He was even feuding for the title. So I really thought that like Judge did all the, all the Roth segments were just Judgment Day at that point. And then on Smackdown it's only two hours so they couldn't fit anything. So I genuinely thought this summer friendship, MJF and Adam Cole thing was the best thing like going.
[00:28:45] Speaker A: But funny enough, but funny enough, that rivalry basically had its peak at all in, at the first All In. And then also proceeding at that all in was of course Brawl in which involved CM Punk getting fired. And then once CM Punk showed up about a year ago to Survivor Series, that's when it really took a turn for aew. And then on top of that they had the injury to both Cole and mjf. MJF with his shoulder, Cole with his foot. And you got to wonder if they had never had that, that bridge entrance ramp for that Grand Slam that happened, that Arthur Ashe probably we would have gotten a very different storyline and it would have had a way better payoff. Moving on, we had Mercedes Monet versus Chris Statlander. This was the only women's match that was on the card. Mercedes, I think a lot of people have really agreed that this entire character, the CEO character, is absolutely gone downhill and you can never really tell if it's genuine or she is just buying in for the paycheck that Tony Khan is writing every single time that she's out there. Towards the end, Statlander attempted a high risk 450 but no one was home and Monet targeted her injured knee. Capitalizing on the damage, Monet delivered a frog splash to the bag leg, followed by multiple backstabbers. Then she connected with the Monet maker, but somehow Statlander kicked out at 2. After that, Statlander powered up for the Saturday Night Fever once more. But then as she was down in the position, Monet bit Statlanders leg to escape and swung her into the ropes, choking her out in the process. With her momentum off the rebound of the ropes, Monet rolled her up for the 1, 2, 3, retaining her TBS championship. This was decent, kind of like the other two matchups early on, but they have really got to figure out what they're going to do with this women's division at all.
Moving on. We had a pretty hard hitting match. I would Say Jay White versus Hangman Adam Page.
Hangman has been trying to get to the top, especially after the wild lights out steel cage match that he had with Swerve Strickland and now he's involved with this rivalry with Jay White. And I don't really know where Paige is going to go from here.
We'll go into it at the end of the full gear review. But there is a. I see a really good time. If Peng man got some wins and proved himself to be worthy enough that definitely a Moxley Page match would do good, especially for the storyline.
[00:31:53] Speaker B: I honestly, I feel like it could work. But also they, the stuff that they're doing with Paige, it just isn't really shouting to me at least personally, I don't know for like other fans and stuff like that, but just for me personally, I really don't care for Hangman Adam Page too much. He's a great wrestler, but just his character is like crazy. Like he's always got a wild look. He's just insane and he just, he's. He'll do whatever it takes. But it's just, it doesn't really make. It doesn't really do anything for me when he's constantly losing.
So I think it just, every single time he loses, I care about his character less because I'm just like, okay, you're crazy and everything. He had that crazy win against Swerve in that steel cage match which was brutal.
[00:32:44] Speaker A: Syringe, syringe to the cheek, which was full of nothing. And then the shaven down steel chair to the head, but absolutely crazy.
[00:32:54] Speaker B: It it every time he loses because he's lost twice in a row now to Jay White, which, I mean, fine, Jay White's phenomenal. He's one of the best in the world. But if you want to push this character that Paige has, you have to give him wins like he's. If he loses over and over again, there's just. He has no credibility for anything.
[00:33:12] Speaker A: Final stretch saw counters upon counters with Paige standing up for the buckshot lariat, only for White to flip into a flatliner. Page retaliated with another ankle lock, but White countered into a figure 4 leg lock of his own. Page broke free by reaching the ropes, but White immediately applied a dragon screw leg whip, continuing his assault. Page attempted for the buckshot lariat again, but White almost reversed it into a Blade Runner. In a shocking turn, Page locked in another ankle lock, but White finally rolled through, stood up and countered into the Blade runner for the 1, 2, 3, post match. That was the fifth time Adam Page has lost to Jay White. But Page came up and he attacked White along with talent relations Christopher Daniels, which. How have you thought about that? Christopher Daniel's angle where he's like the quote unquote Adam Pierce or the Nick Aldis of aew.
[00:34:19] Speaker B: Yeah, it doesn't. It's not the same at all. It is not the same. It's just like another way that they keep trying to, like, poke fun at wwe and WWE just could not care less about them, but AW thinks they're, like, getting at them. And it's really funny to watch sometimes because, like, Christopher Daniels is also bald. They're just like, kind of making fun of Adam Pierce.
[00:34:44] Speaker A: At least.
[00:34:45] Speaker B: At least in my eyes, that's what it looks like they're doing.
[00:34:48] Speaker A: They real. They really are. Even though he doesn't have a catchphrase, like, it's official. It's just the fact of, like, Christopher Daniels some reason has to be on.
[00:34:58] Speaker B: I don't even know what. I don't. I like. I don't even understand what his job is. So I. I just. His character, if that's what even want to call it for this storyline just makes no sense. I don't know what he's doing. Right.
[00:35:10] Speaker A: Moving on. This was, of course, match of the night. Who else could have thought it will. Ospreay versus Kyle Fletcher. There's a lot of this match I do want to look at because of course it was. There was a lot to happen during this match. The match definitely had its peak when Ospreay attempted for the hidden blade, but Fletcher flattened himself with a lariat. The crowd erupted when Fletcher crotched Ospreay on the top rope. But Ospreay countered Fletcher's turnbuckle brainbuster attempt into a Styles clash, earning another long two count with both men battered and desperate. Ospreay unleashed a running blade and prepared for the finish, but Fletcher delivered a tombstone on the outside to the steps. What did you think about that spot?
[00:36:06] Speaker B: It's really, really frustrating how loose they pretend dropping someone on their head and they're just like, totally fine afterwards. Like, WWE has a much, much better policy with the. With pile drivers about how it's just purely banned because, like, that's a really dangerous move.
[00:36:26] Speaker A: Yeah. Like the storyline that they just did with Kevin Owens and Randy Orton.
[00:36:29] Speaker B: Yes, you can. Theoretically, you can make someone kick out of anything because it's how the script goes. But he got dropped on his head like eight times in this match, and one of them was a tombstone jumping onto Steps.
[00:36:44] Speaker A: They. They went to counter.
[00:36:45] Speaker B: He should be dead after that.
[00:36:47] Speaker A: He. He was going to do something on these still steps, but Fletcher countered and then he. He turned towards the steps and he, like, gingerly jumped off. Because if it was anywhere other than the steps, like, if it was the gap in the steel steps, they would be out completely.
But I was very surprised by that move with the tombstone from the apron to the steel steps.
[00:37:11] Speaker B: I wasn't even that surprised by it because aew, they love doing stuff like that. And then Will Ospreay kicked out of that and kept fighting. No, he should be out. His neck should be broken to the top of his head should be crushed. He got dropped on the top of his head on metal. That is too crazy to just gloss over. And Osprey's fine after that. I just. For me, I really like AEW wrestling. I like their style a lot, but with stuff like that, that's just where I'm like, oh, come on, that's so, so over the top. And I just think it's too much.
[00:37:48] Speaker A: Turning back towards the final moments of the match, Fletcher dragged Ospreay back into the ring and delivered a brutal sequence of attacks, including another piledriver variation that he calls the Grim Stone, which somehow did not put Ospreay away. In the final moments, Fletcher battered Ospreay with a brutal lariat, a running boot to the back of the head, and then finally delivered a top rope buckle brain buster for the 1, 2, 3. And surprisingly, Kyle Fletcher got put over by Will Ospreay.
Definitely a bunch of things. And this is what happens every single time with a Will Ospreay match. This actually scored five and a quarter star on the Observer. And really, I think this will be a little bit good for Fletcher because now they're going to start to bring out his character, which before then he was just Ospreay's lackey. And that is the entire reason why they did this storyline, is because everybody was saying that he was going to be the next Will Ospreay, and Kyle Fletcher said, enough, I'm not gonna be that and I'm going to do my own thing, which is, of course, shaving his head bald and basically being the son of Don Callis.
[00:39:12] Speaker B: Yeah, the Don Callis family is always so funny to me because Don Callis gets so much heat. He's like one of the biggest heat magnets in aw. And it's really funny that he just does it by picking the bad guys that are hated the most by people and then just going, all right, I'm signing You whatever that means.
[00:39:31] Speaker A: By the way.
[00:39:31] Speaker B: I don't even what. What. Whatever he means by signing. So funny to me, he.
[00:39:36] Speaker A: He has two different things. He has signing and then he has called in favors.
[00:39:40] Speaker B: Right?
[00:39:40] Speaker A: Have you remembered that part when he says I called it a favor?
[00:39:43] Speaker B: So for me, I think Kyle Fletcher being in the Don Calls family and it's just like. It's so funny to me that Fletcher is gonna like, he's gonna think that he's like the most important one when clearly Takeshika is still the most important member in Don Callis because he's the tie. He's got the championship too. And I can't wait for that to start breaking up because no one in Don Cal's family lasts that long. It's. How long was Osprey in it for? Like maybe a year.
[00:40:12] Speaker A: He was only in it because Kyle Fletcher was recruited and that was pretty much it.
[00:40:17] Speaker B: And then Osprey. Ospreay was joined after during his feud with Kenny Omega for the IWGP US Title.
[00:40:26] Speaker A: That was correct. Last year, Forbidden Door and Callus helped.
[00:40:29] Speaker B: Him win it back at Forbidden Door. Great match, by the way. Way really, really great match. But I think Ospreay was barely hit it for a year. And now they got Take because Takeshka kicked Kenny out. And I think now like the longest reigning member of that group is Takeshita. He's been it for a couple years now, which is very impressive. But I think it's just so funny that everyone in that group is cycling out and Kyle Fletcher is just the next one.
[00:41:00] Speaker A: The next segment, we really don't need to go into it. It was the Mariah May, Mina Shirakawa.
[00:41:07] Speaker B: And just setting up their match that they're inevitably having.
[00:41:11] Speaker A: The end of the segment led to Mariah May trying to sneak one on Mina and then Mina turned around and she roundhouse kicked the champagne bottle out of Mariah May's hand and followed to spear her off the stage where it looked like she somehow busted a tooth.
[00:41:33] Speaker B: Yeah, that looked gnarly. And it also looked real. I was. It did not look fun for her.
[00:41:38] Speaker A: I. I don't believe that they. They really took an account of padding outside of entrance.
[00:41:46] Speaker B: They did not do a good job of making sure that, like, where they were going was safe. It looked pretty.
Pretty like. Like nothing else was there besides that top.
[00:41:58] Speaker A: My top three spears off of the entrance way or anything. Two of them being within the last four years. Number one for me. All time has to be, of course, Batista and Undertaker at last. Man standing back 07 with the set coming down on top of them. That was absolutely amazing. And then the other two being the recent one Jey uso spearing Jimmy off the stage and an underrated one. And this has been the only decent match other than I want to say his match with brock at Mania 33 but Goldberg versus Bobby Lashley at Crown Jewel. I want to say 2022.
Nobody remembers that match.
I believe that was the same card that had Biggie versus Drew McIntyre. I, I'm not sure what the main event is actually. No, I do. It was Brock Lesnar versus Roman and it was the first match that Brock had had since the Pandemic and that. That was a decent match. At least Brock renewed himself even part 18 of it. Part 18 but. But his recent one where he had the string of matches when it was Crown Jewelry Mania and then finally the Last man Standing match with Roman at SummerSlam.
[00:43:22] Speaker B: The SummerSlam match was very good. I will.
[00:43:25] Speaker A: That was, that was by far his best, his best match.
[00:43:28] Speaker B: But Cody were great too. I will say those non title matches where they were just straight beefing. I really enjoyed those three matches too.
[00:43:36] Speaker A: We'll continue on to the Daniel Garcia versus Jack Perry TNT title match.
This entire storyline with the Elite has completely driven itself off the cliff.
I don't really see any point of it anymore. Especially with the Young Bucks and you know, their appearances and the fact that they did decide to lose the title to Private Party.
But Jack Perry, he's been trying his best with this scapegoat character even though now it is overplayed played because let's be honest.
[00:44:14] Speaker B: Yeah, it's, it's very, very interesting.
[00:44:18] Speaker A: Honestly, I'm not.
[00:44:19] Speaker B: I haven't really been paying attention too much to that segment. Really. It's just like you said, it's just kind of.
[00:44:26] Speaker A: This is nothing.
[00:44:26] Speaker B: It's gone nowhere.
[00:44:28] Speaker A: And neither is Dino Garcia. Yeah, which, which is good that he got this.
[00:44:32] Speaker B: Which it's very, it's very unfortunate that, that, that this is what is coming out of these. What could be good storylines. Like honestly it really could be good stuff and it just. They keep falling flat. They keep doing all of the wrong things for these different segments that they're doing. I don't get it.
[00:44:55] Speaker A: Since in the end Garcia locked in his signature dragon tamer submission, wrenching back on Perry as he struggled after failing to reach the ropes. Perry had no choice but to tap out giving Daniel Garcia the hard fought victory and the TNT championship.
This was, you know, good for Garcia. At least Garcia got Something out of it, like he said. But overall, him being like this homegrown AEW talent, which I don't believe he actually was, he was more of the Year two type of deal. And now after being looked over for years on years and years, he finally has a singles championship.
You know what? I would replicate this as. I replicate this as AEW trying to find. It's Jey uso.
[00:45:49] Speaker B: I don't know. I feel like that's a decent comparison in terms of like how. How they've been.
[00:45:57] Speaker A: I can go far into it.
[00:45:58] Speaker B: How they've been pushed, I guess.
[00:46:00] Speaker A: Yeah. Each of them have their own gesture that got over with the crowd.
[00:46:04] Speaker B: Yeah, true. I know. Like the thrust thing that he does is dance moves.
[00:46:08] Speaker A: Thrust dance.
[00:46:09] Speaker B: Very funny. But also Jey USO is like a main event caliber Superstar.
[00:46:15] Speaker A: That's why the nickname the main event.
[00:46:17] Speaker B: Yes, exactly. I don't think Daniel Garcia is yet. That's the problem. So I think that's their biggest difference because Jey USO has and will continue to main event raws, smackdowns and occasionally ples if Roman isn't doing anything. But he has been in world title shots. He has been a part of main caliber feuds. Then which is the biggest difference between him and Daniel Garcia. Daniel Garcia is not capable of that.
[00:46:46] Speaker A: Next up, Ricochet vs. Konoshke takeshna for the international championship. You said that this was your. Your most favorite match that was on the card.
[00:46:59] Speaker B: No, I missed this one. That's what I missed. Yeah, I wish I could have seen this one because it's. I mean it's Ricochet and Takeshita, but yeah, I completely missed this. And the Swerve Lashley match I really didn't get to see because my stream wasn't working.
[00:47:14] Speaker A: The action escalated as both men took to the top rope. And Ricochet surprised Takeshita with a incredible hurricane Rana followed by a poison Rana. But Takeshna stayed alive. Rickshaw then claimed again for a shooting star press, landing perfectly only to get another near fall ricochet signal for the Vertigo. But Kashna countered into a devastating bastard driver for another close to count. Both men were spent and Kashna refused to let up. Narrowing a missed pump knee strike as Ricochet countered into a brain buster and a Benadryl for net. Yet another near fall. The final moments happen when Ricochet climbed to the top rope and looked to deliver another top rope move. But he took too long. This allowed Tesh not to crotch him on the ropes, setting up a another company. And then finally an Avalanche Falcon arrow for the 1, 2, 3.
Ricochet has been saying a bunch of things lately on how he can carry a company, and really I don't see it from both his wrestling and also his very lack in promo skills. What do you think of how Rick Shea has been basically pushed since debuting for aew?
[00:48:34] Speaker B: He is the exact same as he was in wwe. His wrestling is phenomenal. His promo skills are abysmal.
[00:48:41] Speaker A: And sometimes you don't need always promo skills.
[00:48:43] Speaker B: He has no personality. He doesn't pull with the crowd. He does really cool moves. And I genuinely think he is a top wrestler just based on wrestling. But unfortunately, that's not all that matters. You need to have charisma, you need to have promo skills because it is more than just athleticism. It is entertaining. And you need to be an actor of some sorts. And he is just not. And that's fine. But that's why he probably needs a mouthpiece, which I think is the only thing that they can really try that's left for him.
But other than that, I just. I don't see what. I don't see any improvement, like, in his personality. Like I said, his wrestling, awesome. He is a great, great wrestler. Once he steps in that ring, I forget all about his personality because his wrestling is that good. But as soon as he gets back on that microphone, I just go, oh, this is why I don't care about you.
[00:49:45] Speaker A: The first time he got owned was his feud with Logan Paul.
[00:49:49] Speaker B: Yeah, Logan Paul.
[00:49:50] Speaker A: Logan Paul owned him.
[00:49:51] Speaker B: Logan Paul was the one that really showed everyone that Ricochet just is so boring. And, like, he made it very. He made it very apparent and, like, opened everyone's eyes because, like, before that, I think people kind of, like, knew it, but didn't want to say anything about it. And then Logan Paul just made it so obvious that people had to unnotice and be like, yeah, Ricochet is just not the best at this promo stuff.
[00:50:18] Speaker A: And somehow Samantha Irvin is with this man. I have no clue how, but. The ERCO main event.
Swerve Strickland versus the Pay Per View debut on AEW for Bobby Lashley. The action spill to the outside were Swerve attempted a DDT on the apron, but he did kind of botch this one because Lashley did not make the full impact. As Lashley stumbled back to the Spanish announce table. Swerve then ran up the steps and delivered a swerve stomp through the table. I thought that that was very, very good move from, you know, you don't really see a lot of table spots from the announce table in aew. And that's mostly because they have a different setup than a normal announce table like a WWE would have, which is more collapsible. These are more, you know, set up, and they're very, very hard to do. So the fact that I, you know, Swerve is able to run up them steps and then delivered the Swerve stomp through the table, and it just immediately crashed out.
It was really, really good. Back in the ring, Swerve hit the house call kick, followed up with another Swerve Stromp from the top rope, but Lashley ended up kicking out at 2. Lashley rolled to the outside, reeling as Swerve confronted MVP at ringside. This distraction gave Lashley the opening to deliver a overhead belly to belly suplex, launching Swerve. Lashley then charged with a spear through the barricade, destroying both Swerve and the barrier. Lashley then threw Swerve back to the ring and delivered another spear that turned Swerve inside out and immediately locked in the hurt lock. And then Swerve ended up passing out. Very good start for Bobby Lashley. I will mention the cool thing that Swerve came out with. A homage to Tyler, the creator. I don't know if you noticed that in the green in his attire, but he also came out wearing a mask of himself, kind of similar to what Tyler did in his new Chromacopia album. I don't know how much of a music head that you are with.
[00:52:40] Speaker B: No, I'm not too big of a Tyler fan, but that is really cool. I didn't. I didn't pick up on that.
[00:52:45] Speaker A: Yes.
Finally we have the main event with Orange Cassidy taking on the AEW champion, Jon Moxley.
This. This entire storyline with Jon Moxley and the Death Riders, this has not done anything whatsoever. This is a repeated thing that they already did with the Elite earlier this year when they did it with Tony Khan, where they were trying to take over the company, and it has not worked. Granted. Yes. Is Moxley a really great character? Yes. But all of this, you know, hints of him taking over has not been seen at all during dynamite shows. And his entire, you know, get up has just been weak. And the only thing that is keeping him afloat is that generally everybody in the Death Riders group are badasses. Whether it's Marina Shafir, whether it's Claudio, whether it's Pacific. And then of course, Yuta is just considered, you know, the young boy of Moxley, which I think he grew up Watching the Japanese style wrestling, and he knew that everybody has their young boy that they grow orange. Cassidy wasted no time delivering three orange punches and a tope suicida. During the ring introductions to Moxley, the action spill to the outside with Cassidy biting Moxley's head, only for Moxley to retaliate with a eye gouge and a crotch shot on the barricade. From there, things escalated as Moxley stomped Cassidy's head into the steel steps, busting him open. And finally, Moxley does not get busted open first.
That was very, very brutal, especially for the blade job that that orange Cassidy delivered throughout this match. Moxley then hit a devastating paradigm shift on the steel steps as Maria Shafir got her cheap shots. Before the fight officially made it into the ring. Moxley bit Cassidy's blood to the forehead. Following another pile driver, he slammed Cassidy onto the Spanish announce table, which had been reassembled during the earlier match, once again to be destroyed. Again, the visual of Moxley smearing Cassidy's blood over his hands and body highlighted the visceral intensity of the match. I straight up felt like he was eating a thing of buffalo wings. If you had seen, like, his mouth, it was just completely red.
[00:55:17] Speaker B: Yeah, it was gnarly.
All of John Oxley's matches are so bloody.
[00:55:22] Speaker A: His.
[00:55:22] Speaker B: His opponent always ends up getting bloody. He gets bloody. He's just mad. His matches are so gnarly and I kind of love it. But at some point it just. It. It gets to be too much. But I do. I do really enjoy that. He just really does not care and he will do pretty much anything.
[00:55:39] Speaker A: The outside interference reached new heights when Claudio and Pac emerged. But immediately, Tomio Ishii. I hope I pronounced that right. Hero Ishi.
[00:55:50] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:55:50] Speaker A: Yeah. That dude, he's a sack of potatoes.
[00:55:53] Speaker B: He's so funny, though. I love him so much. I actually. I actually really like him. He's. Look, he's just a little tiny bulldog.
[00:55:59] Speaker A: That's. That's a stone bulldog.
[00:56:01] Speaker B: I know, it's just. He genuinely resembles a bulldog and I think it's so funny.
[00:56:07] Speaker A: Alongside Ishii, there was Rocky romero and Kyle O'Reilly. The distraction allowed Mina Sphere to sink to the ring with the briefcase that is holding the AEW championship. God knows what it is for and why they are keeping it in a briefcase for some reason. But Willow Nightingale came out and tackled Shafir to the floor. Taking opportunity of the situation, Cassidy ended up using the briefcase and smashed it into Moxley's face. But all of a sudden, Wheeler Yuta the young boy comes in and he sneaked in and hit a busy knee a la Brian Danielson on Cassidy which then got Moxley to deliver a Deathrider and he got the victory after Cassidy had passed out.
Post match. This is where I was so confused because I, I have been hoping that this Death writers group has been led by the one and only money man, Shane McMahon. I, I, I, I was hoping, I, I've been hoping ever since, I don't know. Ever since all out.
[00:57:23] Speaker B: That's very far fetched.
[00:57:24] Speaker A: Ever since all out, I've been hoping that Shane McMahon would turn up and he would end up being the one being behind all this group because at early on during this entire storyline, Moxley said this is not the same AEW as it once was before and this is the entire storyline going forward. Is that Motley is trying to like, yeah, save.
[00:57:47] Speaker B: I don't, I don't understand like his saving angle. It's just what are you saving it from? Because all he says is it's not the same and I'm saving it. But then never explains himself. And I guess that's like his whole thing. He's like, if, if you don't have to explain it, if you don't get it, you're part of the problem.
[00:58:03] Speaker A: But they're all like soliloquies.
[00:58:05] Speaker B: I just, and I don't understand it. I really, I really don't and I dislike it. But also it's interesting because I still want to see where it goes.
[00:58:16] Speaker A: Same.
[00:58:16] Speaker B: Yeah, it's very interesting and I am curious but it's that great. I really, for a second they had me. I really thought Orange Cassidy was going to win.
[00:58:25] Speaker A: Yes. After, after the briefcase spot, I actually thought that they were going to do something.
[00:58:30] Speaker B: For a hot second they had me convinced. I was like, oh my gosh, they're really going to give to him. And then sneaky, sneaky boy Wheeler Yuta.
[00:58:37] Speaker A: Yeah. Post match, Yuta ended up with some type of cleaning adjacent.
[00:58:45] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:58:46] Speaker A: And he dumped, he dumped the bleach. They dumped the bleach onto Cassidy. And meanwhile while that was going on, out comes Adam Page. This is what I said earlier. I said, oh my gosh, this will be actually cool if they can set up Page. But it doesn't make any sense because he just lost. So I was, that was the first thing I said is like, why is he out here? He just lost. But anyways, Paige came out with a chair. He ducked Yuta and he stared off with Moxley only for the fake money in the Bank Christian Cage to come out now.
[00:59:18] Speaker B: Wait for him to cash in and.
[00:59:19] Speaker A: Hit that kill switch to win it.
[00:59:21] Speaker B: Oh, my gosh. It's gonna be so trolls. And I love it.
[00:59:24] Speaker A: The question is, does he cash it in on Moxley or does he cash it in on the person that beats Moxley? It's.
[00:59:29] Speaker B: Oh, it's 100 going to be the person that beats Moxley. Oh, my gosh. He would. He's the perfect person to ruin such a genuine good moment of like, oh, my gosh. Moxley's done. Cash in. Christian World Champion.
[00:59:42] Speaker A: Now, speaking on the Christian storyline, how have you thought overall of the father figure?
[00:59:49] Speaker B: Oh, he's one of the easiest. He's one of their best heels, like, promos.
[00:59:54] Speaker A: It's good. I mean, it takes a little while.
[00:59:56] Speaker B: So good. Like his, you know, Jungle Boy, he wishes for a father. Well, you have a father and your father is dead. Oh, my God. It's.
[01:00:06] Speaker A: He doesn't want every single person. He's like, your father's dead. By the way, how does he find all these people that have dead fathers? Please tell me.
[01:00:13] Speaker B: So mean. I just. He's so good at pulling and just making you hate him and just the absolute trash.
[01:00:20] Speaker A: He says his height was the Jungle Boy feud.
[01:00:23] Speaker B: Yeah.
[01:00:24] Speaker A: His edge one, I feel like, was a little bit flat.
[01:00:27] Speaker B: Where is Copeland? Is he hurt?
[01:00:29] Speaker A: Copeland has been hurt since May after he decided to pull a macho man and did a elbow drop to Malachi Black back at double or nothing. I don't understand why he decided to.
[01:00:41] Speaker B: Do that, but because he want. Because WWE would never let him.
[01:00:45] Speaker A: They saved him. They saved him.
[01:00:47] Speaker B: You're an old man. You're gonna get hurt if you do that. Oh, I don't want to do it.
[01:00:50] Speaker A: And Tony says, yep, Goes, yeah, sure.
[01:00:53] Speaker B: You can do that. It'll pull views. And then guess what? He's an old man and he got hurt. Oh, yeah.
[01:00:58] Speaker A: I believe it was a broken. I believe it was a broken fibula and gangrel had to carry and help him to the back. I was like, why on earth did they do that?
[01:01:07] Speaker B: And then.
[01:01:08] Speaker A: And. But they ended up playing it off and they tried to give it to Jack Perry. So it worked somewhat into the storyline, I guess. But since then, I don't even know what they're going to do when Adam Copeland comes back. But anyways, after Cage hit the kill switch on Moxley, Paige was holding the contract. He gave it to Christian and Christian teased that he was finally going to cash it in. But Jay White comes out and he delivers A blade. He delivers a Blade Runner to Christian. And as the Death Riders were escaping, White went after them. The Death Riders were seen going towards their truck when all of a sudden some race car comes in and crashes into the trunk. I'm like, who on earth is that? I for some reason thought, oh my God, that is Shane McMahon. I was like, oh, Shane is just driving cars into other cars. I'm like, what is this? But then of course, after the Death Riders found emergency vehicle and straight up played real time Grand Theft Auto, I.
[01:02:15] Speaker B: Was going to say they didn't find an emergency vehicle.
[01:02:17] Speaker A: They didn't say it. They stole.
They hijacked the vehicle.
[01:02:20] Speaker B: They completely committed a crime and stole that vehicle.
[01:02:24] Speaker A: And emerging from the car that crashed into the Death Rider's truck is of course the one and only Darby Allin who began smashing his skateboard all over the truck, breaking the windshield as the pay per View ended. I was just left with every bit of questions when this got over with. What does this mean? Who is going to challenge Moxley next? And currently we are working toward the Continental Classic.
[01:02:57] Speaker B: I have really classic plays out.
[01:03:01] Speaker A: Yes, the Continental Classic. By the way, here is the Blue and Gold League.
The Blue League consists of the Continental champion Kazushka Okada, which I believe he will be defending his championship.
[01:03:15] Speaker B: I don't really like that.
[01:03:17] Speaker A: Well, that's, well, that's exactly what the Continental Classic was made last year's final it was Moxley and Kingston and that's where Kingston had I believe the three belts.
[01:03:24] Speaker B: That's where he won.
[01:03:25] Speaker A: It was. It was Moxley and White and Moxley beat White and then I believe it was actually White and Swerve.
All three of Moxley Swerve and White made it to the finals and Moxley beat both of them and then Kingston beat Danielson in the. I believe it was the Blue League, right. But along with Okada in the Blue League they have Kyle Fletcher, Daniel Garcia, the Beast Mortos again, Mark Briscoe and Shelton Benjamin. Briscoe and Garcia were in the tournament last year and they did pretty good. Garcia was really the Hitman and didn't really do much. She was made to take all the losses. But the biggest person in the Blue League is of course Shelton Benjamin. I think this tournament will do well for him in establishing his intensity and really his strive in the ring and his veteran instincts. And I don't expect him to make it to the finals, but this will be a really good showing for Shelton. Meanwhile, in the Gold League we have Will Ospreay Juice Robinson, Brody, King of the House of Black, Ricochet Claudio Castagnoli and Darby Allen. So again trying to push in Ricochet and trying to give him his dues. I don't know why they put him in there because there's a couple of good people that they could have had in there. I preferably would have had Teshna in.
[01:04:54] Speaker B: This because I'm a little disappointed that Takesh does not in this tournament. I get he's the international champion. He really should have been in it.
[01:05:04] Speaker A: Now I. I don't want to alarm but Juice Robertson I believe a couple of days ago per sources he was reported injured some.
So a replacement I believe Takeshna would strive in because then you get the Osprey Takeshina rematch.
[01:05:22] Speaker B: Wouldn't they just. I feel like they just replace him with. Or is Jay White in it? I'm sorry, did you say Jay White was in it?
[01:05:27] Speaker A: Jay White is not in it which.
[01:05:28] Speaker B: I feel like they could just replace.
[01:05:29] Speaker A: Him with Jay which prefer which Jay White went to the finals of the Gold League last year. So I feel like that would do. That would do something for him. But overall what I think is going to be the final with all of this is going to be Okada versus Ospreay at world's end for the Continental Championship in which Ospreay will get his wins back.
[01:06:01] Speaker B: That would be so crazy.
[01:06:05] Speaker A: Out of those 12, who do you think would. Would put up a good finals? I. I'll. I'll list them off again.
[01:06:12] Speaker B: Yeah, I mean honestly, I just. I like that final a lot. It's awesome. But I feel like it's just so much like that would have to main event. I don't care what. I don't care what else is happening. That is the main event like that. That those are the two. Two of the best wrestlers on the planet, period. Like I feel like that would have to main event and it probably wouldn't just because it's the Continental Classic. It's not the AW title or something. So I feel like they won't do that just because they'll want to save Osprey and oh my gosh, Okada for something else.
[01:06:45] Speaker A: I have a feeling that if it's not Okada and Osprey, I have a feeling Okada is going to be there regardless. But if it was not Osprey, the only other person I see that would be kind of A, you know, a good match for him.
B. Okada.
If Okada was to make it to the finals, I would say the only other person is Darby Allen, even though that does not make any sense. It's just that Brody King, you know, he's not a guy that would be, you know, winning a final of that type of tournament. And if it was not Okada, then maybe Fletcher somehow goes all the way and we get the rematch between Fletcher and Osprey.
[01:07:30] Speaker B: First off, when I saw the things with it was always just going, oh, they're doing this Continental Classic only for Fletcher and Ospreay. That was my thought that, that really was my thought was that they were just doing. They were just going to do Fletcher vs. Osprey final. And I was like, oh man, that's kind of lame that they're just doing this whole Continental Classic around the storyline.
[01:07:49] Speaker A: And, and, and the thing is the fact is that all matches there's no interference. So that means that Fletcher has to be Okada clean, which I don't know if Tony Khan would have the goal absolutely to end up doing that, but it couldn't be clean. So I really think Okada will win the Blue League regardless. But ending the AEW news was the controversy that sparked over absolute Ricky Starks. Ricky Starks has not been used on television since March. And the reasoning that he went into when he was on the Chris Van Fleet show and he basically said that possibly they have been mad at him because security footage caught that he was at the Royal Rumble when Cody won it this year.
And since then Tony Khan has probably been a bit petty and has not used him, but he has said that he is fully able to compete. And during the day of Full gear, Ricky Starks proceeded to make a surprise appearance for Game Changer Wrestling who had a event at the American Dream Mall in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Have you ever been to that mall?
[01:09:13] Speaker B: I have not, no.
[01:09:14] Speaker A: Yeah, that is the one that is located right across from MetLife Stadium.
[01:09:18] Speaker B: Oh, interesting.
[01:09:19] Speaker A: And it was the first time I'd ever been to a mega mall and be like, wow, this is a mall that's basically on steroids. But he made his appearance at Dream on where he stated that he was a passionate wrestler and he is a generational superstar and he was not going to let his career stall while he was on hold.
[01:09:41] Speaker B: Well, completely valid. He is really great.
[01:09:43] Speaker A: Well, what ended up happening was there was a wrestler who is on Game Changer Wrestling roster who's their most famous wrestler. His name is Effie. And what ended up happening was, according to the Wrestling Observer Radio by Dave Meltzer, was that during a podcast episode, Effie's remarks about AEW booking the Hammerstein Ball Room shortly after GCW announced its own event there, which will be January 17th. In 2025 they will be running the Hammerstein Ballroom. And what happened as soon as they announced that AEW announced that it was going to run Ring of Honor Final Battle at the Hammerstein and then it was also going to run Collision and Dynamite and have that entire weekend all out. So it was going to be a three day rain for aew.
But Effie also criticized AEW for its lack of respect towards the independent wrestling and he took aim at Tony Khan's billionaire resources and accusing AEW of lacking originality, contrasting this with GCW's need for profitability. GCW owner Brett Lauderdale distanced the promotion from Effie's comments stating they do not represent GCW's views, but Meltzer noted that a formal apology might have ceased tensions. AEW's decision to pull Starks may reflect from the unease of cross promotional risk, though no official link has been made. But despite being pulled from the GCW events, Stark's other independent bookings such as House of Glory Watch in the Throne in January remain intact, signaling his commitment to thriving beyond aew. So basically to sum up the clip that Effie had which nobody really knows Effie unless you've watched gcw but GCW has been a indie ran promotion that has been most of Deathmatch characters. I don't know if you remember the stories of Nick Gage.
[01:12:02] Speaker B: Oh yeah, I've heard the name.
[01:12:04] Speaker A: Yes his most famous instance was David Arquette and they were in a death match and it was a mess. But overall it turned Nick Gage into a superstar overnight and he's been one of the lifeblood people of gcw. But regardless the second best person is Effie and what he basically said was like Brett Lauderdale who's the owner of GCW does not own a football team, he does not own any money that basically their dads will protect them in. So he he hit a lot on basically AEW's lack of professional respect for other indie promotions. Because of those comments, Ricky Starts was pulled from the next GCW show in Los Angeles and he was also pulled from being at Hammerstein but he still will not be used. And in January instead of going to GCW he will be going to House of Glory Wrestling. I believe it's either in Chicago or their home base in New York, but time will tell and finally we will talk about the event that was Survivor Series.
One thing I'll note Before we go into it, how have you thought about the earlier time slots where they're starting at 6:00 instead of, like, 8?
[01:13:31] Speaker B: It's a little early for me. I'm not gonna lie. It's still a big part. It's still. It's cutting into my day a tiny bit. Thankfully, I was on break, so I didn't have anything to do that day, so I could just hang out with my friend. But, like, if once I'm. Now that I'm back at school and they have another ple that's starts at 6:00, I might not be able to start watching on time, and I'm gonna be a little upset. I'm pretty used to seven, so being at six, it's just. It's just a tad bit too early for me.
[01:13:56] Speaker A: They. They originally did it. I don't know if you know this, but because of their relationship with tko, they did it. So that way it does not conflict with ufc, right? Okay. So that. So basically they can get done at around, like, 9:00, and then basically, when the prelims are just about ending for a UFC event, they end up, you know, having the people from TKO or any of the fans of USC turn from WWE to ufc. But we got it started with the women's War Games match, where it was Rhea Ripley, Bianca Belair Bailey, Naomi and EO sky taking on Liv Morgan, Nia Jax, Tiffany Stratton, Raquel Rodriguez, and Candice Laray.
This match was really, really sloppy. I. I dare to say this was probably the worst women's War games match I. I have pretty much ever seen. Nia Jax was like, just when you thought that they were building Nia Jax.
[01:15:06] Speaker B: Correctly, she was pretty rough. I will say I. I don't fully agree with you. I did kind of enjoy this match. It started out bad.
[01:15:16] Speaker A: Like, yes, very, very slow.
[01:15:18] Speaker B: Started out very slow. They definitely picked up the pace, though, and I'm perfectly okay with a match starting out slow if they finished strong and they really did finish well. But definitely, I hear what you're saying about the beginning, because, yeah, it was rough. All of the chair shots that they were doing were really, really bad. For some reason, they were, like, lightly tapping each other with the chairs, like.
[01:15:41] Speaker A: Like a Hulk Hogan spot, if you've ever seen Hulk Hogan.
[01:15:44] Speaker B: Very just. It was all confusing and just that to be all the beginning stuff that it was just very, very rough to watch. Thankfully, they picked up the steam and they really did put on a good match at the end. Rhea Ripley's Phenomenal.
[01:15:58] Speaker A: Yeah.
[01:15:58] Speaker B: I think all of her team is great. Pretty much everyone in the match is great. Individually, I just, I don't know, it was just something at the beginning. Naya, which is very slow, Very, very, very, very slow and hip attacks.
[01:16:14] Speaker A: They brought in a tool seat.
Toilet seat.
[01:16:18] Speaker B: Yeah. The toilet seat was very interesting. I didn't understand that.
[01:16:21] Speaker A: Yeah. It broke midway through the match. I'll pick up the match where it highlighted. One of the big highlights in the match it was when Iyo sky and Tiffany Stratton started climbing up the cage and they were on opposite sides. So one was in one ring, one was in the other. And basically Iyo sky had her signature trash can with her. So she, this is a gimmick that she's had ever since she started to be in these war games matches.
Is either she's just gonna go up there normal or she's gonna have her trash can in then. And I thought that EO was just gonna deliver a normal crossbody.
But then on the other side, Tiffany Stratton did a set Swanton bomb from the top of the cage. Well, EO sky somehow did a moonsaults from the top of the cage. I was so worried when I saw that because I'm like, she. It could have ended badly. Like it could have landed flat, like up, you know, going up like where the opening of the trash can is. And she could have, you know, pile drive herself and concussed herself, but somehow it just sticked with her. I don't know if she held on to it as she was, you know, going backwards, but it was just an amazing spot.
[01:17:39] Speaker B: She is really, really, really good.
She's been in every single War games match is so impressive.
[01:17:46] Speaker A: Every single woman's war game is incredible.
[01:17:47] Speaker B: It's so awesome. She's so good.
[01:17:49] Speaker A: Yeah. After that spot, Tiffany Stratton then proceeded to go into a trash can off her own where she found her money in the bank briefcase. This spot has definitely gotten old very, very quickly because you know when you've set yourself up with the friends of one of the women's world champions, why on earth are you gonna basically tease every single time that there's a double down and tease that you're going to cash it in on that other person. But before she could do that because both Liv Morgan and Nia Jax were down. So that's why Tiffany Stratton was debating on who she was going to cash it in on. Raquel Rodriguez came in and she was pissed. EO sky came by and blinded Rodriguez with A fire extinguisher. And through the chaos, Rhea Ripley handcuffed Rodriguez to the top rope. A pair of handcuffs were produced during the match to try and handcuff Rhea, but Rhea powered out. Laray delivered clubbing blows to Belair's back. Naomi hit a pump knee strike to Stratton and Nia. Jax hit a Samoan drop and followed it up with a running leg drop. Jax laid Belair flat on a table that was set up, but Naomi denied the annihilator that was trying to be attempted. And Belair and Naomi ended up powerbombing Jax through the table. Naomi hooked the leg for a two count, but Morgan attacked everybody with a baseball bat that she had introduced into the ring. Morgan ran away from Belair and Rodriguez, still trapped, connected with a big boot to Belair. Morgan connected with an Oblivion with a chair that only got a two count. Ripley then headbutted Morgan and she went to set up for the riptide, but Rodriguez got in the way and Morgan countered with a code breaker, also on the chair that also ended up being a two. Morgan then proceeded to climb on the turnbuckle in which Rhea met her up there and she went for the Oblivion, but Rhea caught her and she decided to hit her with a avalanche riptide through the table that picked up the victory for Team Rhea. One thing, I'll say that during the match, Rhea. Ripley had that protective mask during the match that she's had for her orbital injury that she had. I didn't even expect that she was going to end up being there. The other part that was very interesting to do with the Baby Face team was the replacement of Jade Cargill.
[01:20:32] Speaker B: With that storyline, I'm a little. I'm very pleasantly surprised that I really don't have a clue who put her through the car. Like, I can guess and speculate, but I really don't have like a. Oh, the WWE has like a predictable person for this, which I'm kind of. At least in my eyes, I really have no idea. Like, my first thought would be Bianca.
[01:20:54] Speaker A: Honestly, that's exactly what I would say. Because everybody's logical thing is like, oh, Bailey. Because she can't be trusted. Because that's the gimmick that they've been running with Bianca. But then again, how else are you gonna set up that match that you've been wanting to set up at Mania for Bianca?
[01:21:08] Speaker B: It's so inevitable.
And I genuinely think it could main event WrestleMania because it's that big and they're that good. I think just based off of their star power.
[01:21:20] Speaker A: They really are both stars. Yes. Jada's. Jada has came into her own for this tag team. And also just.
[01:21:29] Speaker B: I am just. I am very, very curious about who is actually the one who put her through that card. I can't believe that everybody's saying Bailey. Yeah, yeah, it's.
[01:21:39] Speaker A: I think there's more storyline with Bianca as the attacker. We got the two title matches that were announced a week before the pay per view started, which kind of very Tony Khan, like when he ends up putting on six matches all of a sudden, half of them on the pre show and half of them setting up for the main card. That Takeshna Ricochet match that was announced on social media. There was absolutely no buildup on TV whatsoever other than their, you know, some of their confrontations that they had. But we had the returning Shinsuke Nakamura taking on La Knight for the U.S. championship. And I'll just say this. Nakamura's entrance was so badass.
[01:22:25] Speaker B: It really.
[01:22:26] Speaker A: The entire samurai entrance and the new entrance theme, and this is like very Japanese style powerhouse.
[01:22:36] Speaker B: And the way. The fact that he won fully and clean with no, no mist.
[01:22:46] Speaker A: Yes.
[01:22:47] Speaker B: And pretty dominantly is a really, really good, really good change of direction that I did not expect to happen.
[01:22:56] Speaker A: No, nobody really did. In the middle of the match, Nakamura sent Knight into the corner, but Knight responded with a back elbow smash. Night place Nakamura on the top turnbuckle and the two traded shots back and forth. Knight, as usual, lost his footing on the middle rope, but recovered to hit every single time. He loses footing every single time. He goes back up and he does that. He does the same spot. He can't do it. And it's. You feel bad for the guy, but the guy just. He's got to understand he can't climb those ropes like. Like a Bron breaker and deliver like some big move on the top rope. It's absolutely ridiculous how many times he loses his footing. But Knight plays Nakamura on the top turnbuckle and after he recovered, he delivered with some elbow strikes. Nakamura answered with a step up in security, followed by an avalanche reverse exploder suplex for a two count. Knight avoided the kinshasa the first time and countered with a modified side slam. He then landed the megastar elbow and prepared for the bft. But Nakamura rolled out to the first ring. So with the War Games and, you know, there being no cage and this is the coolest thing really with the War Games, stipulation is they always have to have two rings. So either match that doesn't involve The War Games cage can happen in either match, but the one big thing is that connector, that steel Grateful. That's right in the middle of it. And that's where Night and Nakamura ended up. After exchanging suplex attempts, Nakamura ended up hitting a reverse DDT right onto the steel in the back of Night's head.
[01:24:39] Speaker B: It was early.
[01:24:39] Speaker A: And then proceeded to roll Night back to the ring and delivered the contrast for the 1, 2, 3. For the surprise title. Change of the US title after night legitimately just got it from Logan Paul at SummerSlam. I was not expecting this. I don't think anybody was expecting this.
[01:25:00] Speaker B: Oh, this was I. A genuine surprise combination of the combination of the fact that this match was added literally a week beforehand. Wasn't even announced on smackdown.
[01:25:11] Speaker A: It's a three week feud. That's the only thing I don't like is there was no height.
[01:25:15] Speaker B: It pretty much hasn't. It goes going on at all. And then Shinsuke won out of nowhere. Just completely baffled me. I was. I didn't even watch the finish. And all of a sudden Shinsuke won. And I sat up my chair. I was like, wait, did that really just happen?
[01:25:29] Speaker A: Like Triple H or Triple H heard the people saying, where's Nakamura? Like, you know, he's been on the main roster. We haven't even heard from him since Raw after Mania. And he's like, oh, you want Nakamura? Okay, boom, he's the US Champion. And now the guy who is the most over next to Cody and Jay now just lost his title less than what, two, three months after.
[01:25:53] Speaker B: It was August. Yeah. And it's actually.
[01:25:54] Speaker A: No, it was July. Actually it was July.
[01:25:56] Speaker B: So we had it for like four months.
[01:25:57] Speaker A: Yeah, he had it for. He had it for four months. He. He did. He. The only big major pay per view defense he had was at Crown Jewel when it was the triple threat against Mello and Andrade, which many, which many people thought that either Andrade and Carmelo should have gotten, especially for a weak feud that Nakamura and Knight had.
[01:26:15] Speaker B: But then Nakamura won it. So.
[01:26:18] Speaker A: Yeah. An interesting thing I found online reading recently is I found out that I didn't notice this, but if you had seen in the entrance, Knight was not talking any smack. He just came to the ring.
[01:26:32] Speaker B: Yeah.
[01:26:32] Speaker A: Very stone Face.
[01:26:33] Speaker B: He dropped.
[01:26:34] Speaker A: He dropped the. He dropped the title when he was on the top rope doing his pose and it was like he knew what was going to happen. And I feel like this is kind of just like one of those things where like you build him up and you finally give him a Singles title and then immediately you take it away from him. Now where does he go? And most likely we will get a rematch. I wouldn't be surprised if they immediately do it at Strider, the night's main event on the 14th, but overall a very surprising victory by Nakamura. Next up, we got into the Triple Threat Intercontinental title match with Bron Breakker, Sheamus and Ludwig Kaiser. This was by far match of the night for me. I believe that this was really match at the night. Not to take anything away from the other matches, but this is what happens when you just deliver a bunch of guys who are hard hitting strikers and will basically carry out a very, very good match legitimately. Sheamus will deliver banger after banger after banger.
During the match, Kizer capitalized with a baseball slide drop kick and followed with a wraparound drop kick that drove Breaker onto the steel steps. He then rammed Seamus's ribs onto the announce table and Breaker regained control stroll with a flying shoulder tackle and a Northern Lights suplex on the floor. Real quickly the ribs into the announce table. Did you see the Raw before the show?
[01:28:08] Speaker B: Exactly what you're talking with the broad, Breaker.
[01:28:11] Speaker A: Oh my goodness. I'm surprised he did not suffer an injury.
[01:28:15] Speaker B: I, I really.
[01:28:16] Speaker A: That is super human.
[01:28:17] Speaker B: I don't know how he faked that because that would full speed.
[01:28:21] Speaker A: He came around speed into the shoulder and just rammed it right against the steel. I was so. And it moved. You can see it shifted. And I was like that's not really good. But Breaker slammed Seamus his head onto the announce table and targeted his ribs with slaps. But Seamus fought back with a couple of haymakers. Breaker then tackled Seamus to the ground and transitioned to a ground and pound attack before rolling him back into the ring. Breaker stomped Seamus chest, but Seamus rallied back with elbow smashes and overhand chops. Despite his efforts, breakers knee strikes taunted and slowed him down. Seamus countered with a tilt War power Islam for a two count. Meanwhile, Kizer Re entered the ring trading blows with Sheamus before Seamus slammed Kizer's head onto the announced table and attempted a powerbomb. Breaker interrupted with a flying double lariat over the table and tossed Seamus over the barricade. I always love when he does that move. He just launches from the apron over to the announce table with just ease and he just like deck anybody that's somehow on top of the announce table. I'm worried he's gonna pull a Scott signer and he's gonna slip off the entrance or he's gonna slip off the Apron. He's gonna break his ankle somehow.
[01:29:38] Speaker B: I mean, I really hope not. That would suck. But no, his. He's. Brombreaker's such a freak.
[01:29:44] Speaker A: He's such a freak, bro.
[01:29:45] Speaker B: He's insane. Same.
[01:29:48] Speaker A: Kizer avoided Breaker's press slam attempt, sending him over the ring steps. Seamus surprised Kizer with a 10 beats on the Boundarin on the barricade. He then followed with a flying double clothesline off the barricade before rolling Kaiser back into the ring. Kaiser tried to grab the shillelagh that was in a timekeepers area, but Seamus intercepted and clotheslined him into the timekeeper keepers area again. Breaker challenge Seamus to a brawl and the two exchange heavy strikes in the heated slugfest. Breaker hit a rising knee strike, but he ended up getting crotch on the top turnbuckle, leading to Seamus delivering a Celtic cross for a near fall. Breaker recovered and executed a super Frankenstein, which we've mentioned is one of the top moves that he has. When he just runs up there, he does dissolute and then he just gets to the Frankensteiner Seamus dodge next move, sending him crashing into the wedge chair. He was setting up for the spear and he missed it. And instead Breaker went into the chair and Seamus tried to follow up with the bro kick, but of course Kizer pulled the ref out to break the count.
With Kizer and the distraction, he ended up hitting Seamus in the ribs with the shillelagh and reminder that this was no DQ because of his triple threat.
[01:31:08] Speaker B: He like beat the crap out of.
[01:31:10] Speaker A: Sheamus because I don't know how you can fake a shillelagh. It's just a stick and you gotta whack him with it.
[01:31:16] Speaker B: He really hit him with it. Like the he Sheamus was like, cut.
[01:31:20] Speaker A: The last couple of times Sheamus has had big matches, he ends up getting a bruise every single time, no matter what it is.
[01:31:27] Speaker B: Gnarly shots from Ludwig. I'm. I cannot lie, it was impressive the way Seamus ate those.
[01:31:33] Speaker A: When Seamus came back into the ring, he fought back Kizer with a pump knee strike, but only for a two count, but he ended up visibly favoring his injured ribs. Kizer retaliated with a rolling Death Valley driver and attempted for a twisting ddt, but Seamus blocked it as Kizer was targeting the ribs again and successfully landed another twisting ddt.
Kizer would then get intercepted by Bron Breakker jumping over Seamus's dead body on the floor and just hit him with a tremendous spear before he ended up firing up and giving Seamus a spear, which earned him the 1, 2, 3. Every single time I see Bron Baker, I'm just waiting until he. He's just growing into a bigger character, and he ends up being the world champion at some point, because that guy is just an absolute freak powerhouse every single time you see him. And he. He's gonna be moved on to, you know, very big things.
[01:32:35] Speaker B: He's a combination of his brother or his dad and Uncle Rick. His dad Rick, freak athlete, Crazy, crazy good in the ring.
[01:32:44] Speaker A: And then uncle the best on the promos.
[01:32:47] Speaker B: So much charisma.
[01:32:49] Speaker A: Well, you know, Ron has.
[01:32:51] Speaker B: Has the exact amount. And he's so good.
[01:32:54] Speaker A: He's been delivering on good promos, too.
[01:32:56] Speaker B: Braun's really good on the mic, too, which is scary. He really cooks someone. And the way he just, like, disses Seamus, he goes, come on, old man. Like, he's just bullying Seamus. It's so funny. And I just. Yeah, he's more like. I don't know how many times he's gonna win the world title, but it will be more than once.
[01:33:17] Speaker A: Do you believe possibly this is a possibility?
Because it was announced recently that one Bill Goldberg will be having his retirement match in 2025. Do you think that match is against Bron Breakker? And that happens somehow at WrestleMania in Las Vegas?
[01:33:38] Speaker B: I prefer to just be. That's no.
[01:33:39] Speaker A: 1.
[01:33:40] Speaker B: But if he really has to have a retirement match, oh, God, I just don't want to see that.
I really have no, no interest in seeing that. Where did you see this? Because I'm genuinely curious.
[01:33:54] Speaker A: This was announced during a Georgia Bulldogs.
I believe it was the kickoff show. It was announced during a big noon kickoff show for a George match.
[01:34:06] Speaker B: That's very interesting.
[01:34:07] Speaker A: And. Yeah. And the only storyline that would work, technically that WB has looked at is involving this right here, which is the next match, which is Gunter versus Damian Priest for the World Heavyweight Championship.
My gosh.
This match, it should have been a little bit better. But leading up, they really humbled Gunter, like, every single week. Priest ended up owning him. No matter what it was. Whether it was the backstage assault and calling him the king of the Streets, or it was the powerbomb that he had on the Go Home show through the announce table.
It was just absolutely everything will pick up during a little bit after the beginning where the match was really centered on Priest's left shoulder.
When Priest hit Gunther with a roundhouse kick and followed up with a flapjack, it ended up, you know, tweaking his shoulder a little bit. Once Guenther saw this, he capitalized by Kicking the injured shoulder and driving Priest shoulder first into the steel ring post. Gunther then whipped Priest into the barricade and relentlessly attacked the shoulder, excruciating with a arm wringer and hyperextending the joint while talking smack to the crowd. Despite Guenther's offense, Priest fought back with body shots in a leaping back elbow smash and landing a elevated flatliner for a near fall. Gunter afforded Priest rebound lariat and hammered him with brutal strikes, including a powerbomb for another two count. Priest rallied with a top rope hurricane Rana and delivers a razor's edge, but Gunther kicked out at 2. Priest attempted a South of Heaven chokeslam, but Gunther slipped out with the injured shoulder and he targeted again before landing a chest lap and immediately. That's the good thing about Priest and Gunter is any time they're in a match, they're going hard and they are going stiff because those slaps and those chops are very, very real. And you can feel that it's taken a toll on both bodies. After dodging Gunter's sleeper hold, Priest connected with a falling Lariat and a rebound, Lariat narrowly missing the win. The turning point came when Preach got crouched on the top turn muckle. Gunter delivered a devastating overhand shot, but Priest blocked the superplex and he ended up spilling onto the outside. I thought it was a botch, and I thought that Priest actually got injured because he lost his footing, but it was only a swerve, bro, because immediately when Priest was trying to recover to the outside, Finn Balor, of all people, came in after the ref was distracted. He delivered a coup de grace off the steps onto Priest, and once Gunther realized what had happened, he came right to the outside, big booted Balor into the barricade. He rolled Priest back up, and he delivered a power bomb before using the injured shoulder to lock in another sleeper before Priest tapped out for the win.
I really don't know where they go with this Gunter storyline. I don't know if they have him have it till Mania again. I don't know if they do the old Goldberg on him and make him lose it at some point or another, but this was a very decent match. But I hate seeing that we are still dealing with storylines of Finn and Priest. I feel like at the end of this, once Finn Balor definitely, definitely leaves Judgment Day, he needs to get a world title before anything happens. I believe that Finn Balor is worthy of a world title win.
[01:37:58] Speaker B: He is 100. Unfortunately, it's just not in the cards for him.
[01:38:02] Speaker A: It's not because he's been so distracted with everything else.
[01:38:04] Speaker B: But I, I really like that Finn kept good on like the promise that he made.
[01:38:11] Speaker A: Damn.
[01:38:12] Speaker B: Forever ago. Which was like the moment that you think like you're. Yeah.
[01:38:18] Speaker A: Priest could actually move on for the.
[01:38:19] Speaker B: Moment you think you're good and your back is turned and you think you're safe. That's what I'm gonna get you.
[01:38:26] Speaker A: Yeah.
[01:38:26] Speaker B: And that's exactly what happened.
[01:38:28] Speaker A: They really did. Because it didn't look like Finn was actually gonna.
[01:38:31] Speaker B: I thought it was gonna be Priest fully moved on to Gunther. No one was even thinking about Finn for this match. Then all of a sudden I was.
[01:38:39] Speaker A: Not even thinking about Finn. I'll be fully honest. I was like, oh, no win.
[01:38:43] Speaker B: I. I think that's really cool.
[01:38:45] Speaker A: They. They did a good job building that up because there was no hints of Priest having any conflict with Judgment Day. It's been all on Gunter, which has been very, very good because then it built Priest back up because originally there was the conflict with the Judgment Day, whether or not Judgment Day would stay. And then Finn turned on him at SummerSlam, which got Gunter the win and the world title.
But overall very decent Coleman event. And finally we got to the main event which was the War Games match. Roman Reigns, Centimer Punk, Sami Zayn and the USOs taking on the bloodline 2.0 of Solo Sikoa, Jacob Fatu, Tama, Tonga, Tamaloa and Bronson Reed.
How did you feel about the additions for the 5 on 5 which was Bronson Reed and CM Punk?
[01:39:43] Speaker B: Very, very interesting. Bronson Reed was super random there. In my opinion. It was a very random addition. All of a sudden Bronson Reed's just with Solo on a smackdown. I was like, huh, that's. That's pretty cool. Like I. Very interesting. Random. But I thought that was immediately okay, that means Seth's gonna be involved in this thing. I was like, oh, great. So it's just gonna be set. And then it wasn't Seth. So I think the surprise factor on both sides was what I really liked the most about it.
And I, I'm fully like told fully okay with it being those two as the fifth members for each team. I really, I really thought it was a fun surprise. I'm curious to see if Bronson stays with them or not. That's the only thing that I am curious if like that will happen or not.
[01:40:34] Speaker A: I feel like it was just a one time deal. At the end of all this, Bronson did actually injure himself and did need help. To the back. Yeah, I heard he didn't need Tsunami from the top of the cage, which gosh, you know, definitely Rikishi vibes, you know, delivering a move from that high up. But you know, if anytime you deliver a splash or anything like that and gotta land and you feet, it's always not going to end well because you're jumping 20 something feet up in the air and you have no help whatsoever. So you know, that was very unfortunate. But yeah, just like you said, everyone thought it was going to be Seth Rollins, but of course this is where CM Punk comes in and this is where it's going to build the feud with Punk and Rollins either in this next WrestleMania or the WrestleMania next. I believe that 42 will mostly be Roman versus Punk and then this year it wouldn't be more of Rollins vs Punk.
But we started off with Jey Uso and Tama Tonga. Jey Uso came out last because he started the match, but I was very, very surprised because he just gets the crowd all riled up with and just seeing like how he has overcome everything and he's been one of the most deciding factors and he has gotten himself over is really good to see. When they did the entrance centimer Punk being the problem cause of that he is. He pie faced Reed while he was in the cage and the feet actually went black for a minute.
I actually enjoyed that. That was, that was pretty good. Added some, some. Some much needed tension, but we get stuff started off with Jay and Tama Tonga.
Jay followed up with a running back elbow smash and an insiguri, but Tama blocked it and responded with a sliding lariat. Tama hit a power slam before following it up with a slingshot senton. He then controlled the pace for a bit, mocking Jay. After hitting a reverse hammer throw into the turnbuckles, he landed a standard frog splash. But Jay avoided another sliding lariat and fired back with a spinning insecure and a running hip attack. Big Bronson Reed entered next. Jay tried to counter Reed by flinging chairs into the face, but Reed then flattened him with a leaping body block and Reed drove a chair into Jay's midsection before delivering a assisted senton splash. With the help of Tomatanga, Jimmy came in strong for his brother, delivering two apron insecurities in a series of chops.
Him and Jay delivered stereo drop down uppercuts on Reed, but Tomatonga attacked Jay from behind. Jimmy fought back with a corkscrew plancha and helped Jay land consecutive flying forearm smashes. They then drove Reed onto The steel and executed stereo corner mounts. I will say, I believe Jimmy Uso was the MVP of this match.
[01:43:53] Speaker B: 100. He was 100%. Jimmy Uso was the MVP.
[01:43:58] Speaker A: I believe this is, this is to make up for. For just the time that, you know, he was gone, of course. And of course the dud, that was him and Jay at Mania, which is supposed to be really big for him.
[01:44:10] Speaker B: The most disappointing match of that entire Wrestlemania.
[01:44:13] Speaker A: They had all the hype. They had all the hype. And like I said, the best part about that was Jay spearing Jimmy off the stage, which looked like it was forever to go down. Tongaloa tried making his way to help his partner, but Solo stopped him and instead Jacob Fatu the Werewolf joined in next, launching Jimmy into the cage and unleashing a brutal assault on both USOs. Fatu shrugged off a Samoan drop attempt from Jay and countered with a spinning elbow strike. He then followed with a hand spring kick slash moonsault combo before joining Tonga and Reed to deliver a crucifix slam to Jay. Did you see that move where they held him up by his arms and then just did the flip? Oh my goodness. That is creative. I've never seen a move like that. I think that works. That works very, very well. And then, just like Solo had did with Tonga, Loa Punk went to go in to save the Usos but Roman reigns stopped him, creating more tension to the situation between Punk and Roman. Instead, Sami uso Sami Zayn entered in springboarding into action with a clothesline on Tonga. The Usos and Zane work together, putting the boots to Fatu and Tonga before falling victim to Reed's overpowering offense. Tangalo came in rolling in two tables from the ring and immediately began making impact with an inverted atomic drop in a running lariat. Tangaloa and Tama Tonga continued their dominance while Fatu delivered a Arabian moonsault to Jimmy. That moonsault, that freaking Fatu always delivers is incredible. How can a man that size end up doing a move that graceful?
[01:46:03] Speaker B: Yeah, I don't get it. It's. It's so. It's so impressive. The way he moves. His bag is so deep. I genuinely think he's like one of the most talented wrestlers in the wwe. It's so awesome to watch him.
[01:46:17] Speaker A: As the clock winded down, finally Punk Storm passed Roman and he brought out the signature tool box. Great call. Back to the hell in a cell spot with Drew McIntyre. He began striking the members of the new bloodline with rising knee strikes in a running bulldog onto the two box to Jacob Fatu in which he no sold and delivered a pop up Samoan drop.
[01:46:45] Speaker B: His pop up Samoan drop is also so cool.
Like my favorite move that he does because he threw throws him up so high and then when he catches him he jumps into the air and like it's not just a smoke.
[01:46:58] Speaker A: Reminds me, reminds me of a Umaga.
[01:47:00] Speaker B: Oh my God, he's Umaga reincarnated.
[01:47:02] Speaker A: He's reincarnated with Umaga not having to speak the foreign language but which by the way have you ever seen the videos of when Umaga was the Umaga character. I don't know if you remember for the first character that he had when he was part of three minute warning. Oh my God.
[01:47:25] Speaker B: He was just a guy. He was just a bully guy that it was. He didn't get the match done fast.
[01:47:31] Speaker A: Jamal, his name was Jamal and he.
[01:47:34] Speaker B: Didn'T get it done fast enough. Eric Bischoff would send him out because and then they would just come and beat the crap out of you all.
[01:47:41] Speaker A: Time moment for that group was on top of the the O2 Survivor Series tables match that he had with with the Hardys and the Dudleys was definitely the the Billy and Chuck wedding, the gate, the gay marriage thing where Bischoff pulled off the prosthetics and said three minutes and they ended up coming out and decimating both Billy and Chuck. But Solo then came in and he played mind games with Roman before he ended up locking the cage door. So he brought his own lock in and he locked the door so Roman couldn't get in. So they couldn't stop, they couldn't start the match. The new bloodline began a savage assault onto the OG Bloodline, including Solo hitting a spinning Solo on Sami Zayn. Fatu then placed Jay on top of Jimmy before executing another moonsault. And then Reid also hit a tsunami on Zane. And then finally Roman Reigns came in. He was the final entrant and as Solo is playing mind games, Roman then just decides to climb the cage from the outside, which I thought that was pretty good. As he got to the top of the cage, everybody in the new bloodlines tried to fight him back, but Roman fought harder. Reid actually got crouched on the top rope and Reigns kicked, fought two in the face before slamming Solo's head against the steel. Reigns then landed a flying cross body to everyone and then proceeded to deliver a series of uppercuts. But Solo delivered him over the top rope and Reigns responded with another uppercut and then went to the other ring to help out the OG bloodline. Except. Except for CM Punk. And then once CM Punk got up, they started arguing a little bit. Only for the voice of reason. Paul Heyman, the best friend of CM Punk, the advocate, the wise man. He comes out and he reasons and he tells.
[01:49:50] Speaker B: He was pumping and pleading with begging and Romany, please. The great, the best in the world, the tribal chief. Together you're better. I'm like, oh Paul, this is so cringey.
[01:50:01] Speaker A: What's so funny is I was yelling. I'm like, why is the bell not rung? Cuz Roman's in the match. I'm like, Roman got in the ring. The bell should have rang. But they made that dramatic entrance where they always do that spot.
[01:50:13] Speaker B: Well, cuz the ref hadn't gotten in the ring yet. That's why the bell hadn't run.
[01:50:16] Speaker A: Yes, because. Because of the lock chain door.
[01:50:19] Speaker B: They had sweet, sweet time.
[01:50:21] Speaker A: Sweet, sweet time. But the bell finally rung. War Games was on, Fought two and Reigns fought and Zane executed a tornado DDT on Bronson Reed. The usos then delivered a double super kick onto Tonga Loa, but Jimmy dragged Tomatonga to the corner before they both hit the double USO splash on Gorillas of Destiny. Fatu buried his shoulder into Punk's midsection and Reigns avoided the Samoan spike and Punk set up Fatu for the gts. But then of course, when Reigns went to spear Solo, he sidesteps and rain spears Punk. Yeah, that was, that was really, really good. That, that was really, really good. I thought it was kind of sloppy because it looked like, you know, he stayed on the ropes and then he came back and then he finally went and speared Punk when he was finally up. But then after that, Solo struck the Samoan spike on terrains that only got a two count. Reed then hit a running Death Valley driver onto Punk and Punk avoided a botched moonsault from Fatu. That was, you know, you hate it when you see it, but Fatu cannot land that move all the time. He botched and he, he really hit his leg and he gets very angry when he ends up messing up a spot. It's the same thing that happened at SummerSlam when he hit the splash and he hit his. He hit his leg. He very much knows how, how to sell from his time being on the Indies. But Reed saved it by hitting a senton splash onto Punk for another two. Fatu got back up to his feet and Reigns delivered a low blow and finally speared so Koa. Reed retaliated with a super kick to Reigns, but He got him flat on the table. Reed then climbed up the top of the cage and delivered a avalanche Tsunami. But then Punk, he pulled Reigns off the table. And I thought both of them were injured, Reigns or Punk, because you know, from a guy that size coming down that fast, you know, there was no way that they were going to be able to escape.
[01:52:35] Speaker B: Punk pulled him away.
[01:52:37] Speaker A: When they make it in the nick of time.
[01:52:39] Speaker B: Dangerously close to when when Reed actually.
[01:52:42] Speaker A: Like I thought, I thought Reed would.
[01:52:46] Speaker B: Have connected with Roman.
[01:52:48] Speaker A: Yes, he would have.
[01:52:49] Speaker B: He would have connected very, very close.
[01:52:52] Speaker A: Yes, Reigns ended up helping Punk back to his feet, but that's when Fatu capitalized and attacked Reigns from behind. Fatu hit an impaler ddt, but Reigns counter with a Superman punch. Solo answered with two Samoan spikes for another near fall. A superkick party ensued as the USO's nailed fatu with the one d. J. Then laid Fatu flat on the table and he went to spear Tangaloa.
And finally Zane delivered a blue Thunderbomb as well.
Jimmy then climbed to the top of the cage. This was the one thing I did not like. He waited. I thought he was going to do a normal thing. I'm like, why is he not doing this? Well, everybody's there. But he had to build up the suspense. But meanwhile he's just like sitting there waiting for the splash. I'm like, why are you not just going for the splash and doing it simultaneously along with the other moves that your partner's doing? But Jimmy went to the top of the cage. He delivered a super USO splash to Fatu. So that would eliminate Fatu for the rest of the match. Zayn then helped up the USO's back to their feet, leaving Sakoa isolated in the other ring.
And at one point Roman said, it doesn't have to be like this. And he went to hug and went to embrace Solo. And Solo just says, didn't have to be like this, but I'm still the tribal chief. No, you're not. And immediately got hit with the super kicks and then immediately sent into the corner and Zayn hit a helluva kick and he actually hugged him.
And then finally Punk hit Solo with a gts. He kind of stumbled a little bit before finally Reigns capitalized with the spear and got the 1, 2, 3. After the match, Reigns hugged everybody from the original bloodline, Sami, Zayn, the Usos and Meanwhile Punk just looked over and then Punk got hugs from the USO's insane. And then finally the met in the Middle. They shook hands and then finally they did their little pose in the ring and everyone held up the runs while CM Punk did the go to sleep. For some reason, they stuck on this ending for so long. I was so waiting for the Rock to end up coming back. That's what everybody wanted. They're like, the Rock needs to come back. But it wasn't just why it took long that was the interesting part. But it was also the storyline that will be going into the future. Most likely Mania is what is the favor that Heyman told Punk that he would call.
Preferably everybody is believing that it is going to be that he's going to turn his back on Roman and they are finally going to have that main event in which that will be night one and that will be Roman versus Punk and night two being the Rock versus Cody. That is kind of a little bit of what I believe would happen. But then again, like you're seeing too much of the Punk and Rollins storyline that you can't pass up on it and this would be a good time to be like. Punk put his differences aside with Roman because of Paul Heyman and basically he took Rollins's spot that he would have had if he had just been a part of the War Games match. And now that jealousy is going to hang over Rollins's head and then Rollins is basically going to challenge Punk finally at Mania and they're finally going to get their one on one match that they would have had last year had Punk won the Royal Rumble and not been injured.
[01:56:40] Speaker B: But.
[01:56:41] Speaker A: But yeah, but overall, what did you think of the War Games pay per view?
[01:56:44] Speaker B: I thought it was a fantastic pay per view. My one gripe was that the crowd sucked.
[01:56:50] Speaker A: Oh my gosh. Vancouver could not be inquired.
[01:56:53] Speaker B: They literally had a segment on the pre show with this guy who would make signs and they always said Vancouver for WrestleMania and they did a whole segment about how this guy has basically just been campaigning for WrestleMania in Vancouver. And then after the show I'm like, dude, I don't even want to watch RAW at Vancouver anymore.
[01:57:11] Speaker A: Like it sounds like a normal aew.
[01:57:13] Speaker B: I've. I've heard Raw and Smackdown crowds that were way lower than there were, way higher than this. No crowd control, so just so dead. They didn't. They did not bring any energy and I felt so bad for this War Games because just the crowd was terrible. But even at the crowd, even at.
[01:57:36] Speaker A: The yeet spot, they. There was nothing up up until they got the. The crane shot where USO was jey. USO was on Top of the cage and then you can see a little bit more hands moving up and down. There was absolutely. That's.
[01:57:50] Speaker B: That's my main gripe with this whole ple. Was literally just how bad the crowd was. Yes, the crowd was terrible. The overall match quality of all the matches was great though. I don't. I don't have an issue with any of them. In my opinion, the best match, probably the Triple Threat and I don't. I Probably the worst match.
There wasn't even a worse match. All like the matches were either good, great or amazing. The Triple Threat was amazing. The War Games, the men's war game was great. The US Title match was great.
[01:58:25] Speaker A: Very surprising. Yes.
[01:58:26] Speaker B: The world. The world heavyweight title was great. And the War Games, the women's War Games was good. Like it wasn't. It wasn't bad by any means. It wasn't me.
[01:58:34] Speaker A: It didn't kick into high gear until the second half.
[01:58:36] Speaker B: But then the second half was really, really good. So I can't even say it was like, oh, it was an okay match. It was really good. And so I think that so good is a solid grade for that one. Overall great ple. In my opinion. I think that it was definitely thrown together last minute like you said at the beginning. I fully agree with that. But at the same time, one of those thrown together matches got us a new champion with the. With Shinsuke, which I love. I really hope they do something super fun with him. And all the other matches had good. I just had really good match quality that I can't even. I can't even be mad at.
[01:59:18] Speaker A: Yes, definitely. It'll be very interesting to see what they end up doing with these storylines going into the Saturday night's main event. As we know, the main event will be Cody Rhodes.
[01:59:29] Speaker B: Look out for a lot of very big things on Saturday night Main event only because this is going to be like their final show of the year. But also it's not only being shown on Peacock, but just on normal NBC television.
[01:59:44] Speaker A: Yes. The first time. The first time in a very long time.
[01:59:47] Speaker B: This will be viewed by millions and millions of people.
[01:59:51] Speaker A: Yes, a lot of people are going to. Are going to look forward to this.
[01:59:56] Speaker B: I would be surprised if the Rock shows up. I wouldn't be surprised if maybe Cena shows up. I am expecting really big things from this because this is going to be their crowning achievement of the year. Is this landing.
[02:00:11] Speaker A: Landing this deal with NBC and being able to actually have a show on there.
[02:00:14] Speaker B: This live TV show that they're doing will have millions and millions of eyes on them and I fully expect them to do really good things with it.
[02:00:26] Speaker A: The big, the biggest storyline is questioning if Owens ends up beating Cody Rhodes for the world title.
[02:00:33] Speaker B: Gosh, I highly doubt it. I just hope, I hope Kevin Owens.
[02:00:37] Speaker A: Like it will end in a dq. It will end in a DQ and it will lead to a match at Royal Rumble wins.
[02:00:43] Speaker B: Like I think it would be better but like even if he wins in a way where he doesn't win the title, that's, that's okay.
[02:00:50] Speaker A: The biggest thing everyone is waiting is a Cody Hilton because he is about ready to get full Homelander on everybody.
[02:00:58] Speaker B: I my personal opinion, I don't think that's ever going to happen. Cody is too much of a good guy. He's too much of a merch seller. He's too much of a like big time face baby face. I really in the same thing with Bianca. The only reason I don't think Bianca pushed Jade into that car is because I don't think they turn her heel.
[02:01:19] Speaker A: Well she, they have been healed before.
[02:01:22] Speaker B: Yes, but now that, but now that they're such big baby faces it's more smart. It's smarter money wise, merch wise, all these different deals wise to keep them baby faced just forever because they sell the most money that way. That's the only reason I don't think Cody will ever turn heel. I want a Cody her teal turn really badly too.
[02:01:47] Speaker A: If it was early on it would have been more capitalizing and they would have been able to do something because he did a very good job when he first got, when he first separated himself from WWE and he did the whole stint with Ring of Honor and then he did it with New Japan and then he joined Bullet Club and then you had the whole after revival type thing. That was when he was at the peak of his heel turn type aura that he would have had back then if he had done this earlier.
It would have, you know, been very successful. But you are, you are right, he is too much of a, of a big white meat baby face to try to turn heel at this point. But we will definitely see. And that is all for the Rocking Review podcast. Thank you so much for listening. If you do not know already we have socials on both Instagram and X at Instagram at the Rocking review and that is spelled R A W K I N G review and then on X slash Twitter for the Rock sports pod. We thank you so much for listening and as always it's spelled RA wk because we do the W's in wrestling. Thank you, everybody.
[02:03:12] Speaker B: Sa.
