aew 2021: don callis’s sunglass game is on point

I basically agree with everything you say about Wyatt.

Could you imagine in Taker had to leave and go to WCW? It would have been atrocious. I mean most of Taker’s career is a mess and that’s in the fed. Wyatt doesn’t even have the special match history / ministry of darkness theme music.

just give me 12 minute Bryan Danielson matches on Dark and Elevation for the rest of time

I was gonna clown on this and say ‘Yeah, it’ll be more like Danielson in a six-man with the Wingmen against Ryzin, your man with the Guile hair and a local jobber’ but now I’m kind of jazzed to see that.

weird show. some cool stuff as always (Jamie Hayter in particular, she looks like she can be a big deal for them) but everything is feeling a bit flat. thought they'd be looking to fire on all cylinders coming out of Rampage but this has been about as subdued as it's been since crowds came back

that tease from Punk though, lol

kind of a nothing show all in all. gotta assume that they'll have had more new viewers checking them out tonight than ever and it felt like one misfire after another.

Kinda torn between who I want to win the tag tournament. Think the Lucha Bros would put up a monster match against the YB but I would love it if Jungle Boy and co get the tag titles.

initially i thought Jurassic Express made sense - i don't see any other titles changing hands at All Out and I wondered whether they might give JE the win to get the big babyface pop and let the crowd have a sing-along to Baltimora on the PPV and then do a month-long reign before they drop the belts back.

i think they're about due for this sort of reign anyway, the long title runs are great for giving the belts value and re-educating the fanbase that this all matters but I think it's fine to give an up-and-coming but not quite there yet babyface act a big pop on the night and then have them drop the belts quickly to an opponent higher up the food chain.

anyway Jungle Boy's time will come and I reckon it's about time Fenix was given a proper spotlight. Pentagon i love dearly from his Lucha Underground days but he has felt kinda lazy and sloppy for a while now. the match at All Out is sure to rock, anyway.

seeing some ppl complaining about Kojima as opponent for Mox - i don't really get that, this feels like it's pretty plainly about Mox getting frustrated about not getting the NJPW match he wants, building to a Moxley / Tanahashi match at the Dome in January. v cool to see NJPW guys in featured positions on big-time US PPVs

darby and cm punk kiss

To expand on what Windsor said, I really appreciate Mox going through clearly some dream matches of his now that he has the leverage to ask for them. Nagata was fun, Kojima will be cool, I can only hope that he gets to go through all the NJPW Uncles, then Tanahashi, then some crossovers, until he finally gets that Dream Onita match.

our friend maura is watching this rampage episode in person

really fantastic episode too. i love rampage

oh man so jealous. that was a superb hour of wrestling. it absolutely flies by.

check out the "Countdown to All Out" show if you have time, really good sit down interview with CM Punk and JR. Which ends with JR saying how many great acquisitions AEW has made and asking Punk if he doesn't think that's set to continue, which gets a lol yes AEW is the place to be right now

Feeling pretty sure now that Danielson is debuting on Sunday night, they're running all the same plays from the Punk return. and it's working! i've booked Monday off work.

also Kris Statlander is very strong

what a fun time! it was surrounded by three hours of dark matches including one that had the crowd very perplexed because of WRESTLING EMOTIONS. also punk led the crowd in a “thank you for being a friend” singalong

also… redeem deez nuts

How do we feel about Max Caster returning? I feel uneasy about the fact that he never apologised.

Why would this bad guy rapper apologise for his bad guy rapping?

his return-to-the-ring rap was both low-key contrite and entertaining without really being an apology. idk, i’m glad he’s back, feel like knowing he probably won’t do anything to that degree again is enough

also to a hoy hoy’s point i feel like a heel apology would be a pretty direct breach of kayfabe. as far as something like this can be handled, i think it was handled well? but i also don’t think i’m the right person to judge it

Seriously? Kayfabe is a BS excuse. Max Caster the person wrote it, not ‘Max Caster’ the character. There’s edgy and there’s crossing the line; he crossed it, and hasn’t owned it. Zero difference between this and what Sammy said about Sasha Banks in that interview, for which he apologised. Tony apologising? That’s fair enough. But if you don’t feel at all skeevy about the situation, I don’t know what to think.

Also, the offending references were to real-life situations outside of kayfabe. If you want to play the kayfabe card, then stick to the confines of kayfabe (though even the Julia Hart stuff before verges on the actually gross and not pantomime gross).

On revision, my tone here is a bit more argumentative than I meant it to be, but I stand by my points.

I gets ya, I just don’t think I agree. Or care that much about MC. He got put in the dog house for a bit but doesn’t have to break character.

feel like julia had to be in on the verses about her, idk

but you make good points mac

i guess what it comes down to for me is that i'm just glad he experienced direct consequences

happy all out day

https://i.imgur.com/KxM70qN.jpg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMTrMYTL9QU

(the punk promo at the end of this bonus dark really made my day, starts an hour and five minutes in)

feel like julia had to be in on the verses about her, idk

I’m sure she was. But there’s a power imbalance there: she’s 19, and new to the company, so one might agree to something one isn’t entirely on board with. (Not that we know her mind, of course.) Kayfabe-wise, I would’ve felt better about it if she tried to beat the shit out of him instead of simply standing there with a grumpy face. But that’s just me.

HAPPY ALL OUT DAY

(And by that I mean, happy tomorrow morning, waking up a bit earlier, to watch it before work)

Happy All Out day

Very pleased I booked this Monday off work. The first time I’ve done it since double or nothing 2019 - as with that show, it feels like there’s something in the air tonight. I think this one is gonna be a biggie.

So many exciting matches, and then there’s all the Punk teasing and TK doing his “I’m not gonna answer that but it’s an excellent question to be asking” bit

Huge show, gonna be a lot of eyes on them and I hope they al do themselves justice

Just such a shame Hangman isn’t there. Gotta do our boy right in the next couple months.

p surreal seeing satoshi kojima coming out right now w the njpw logo behind him

this is the best ppv fucking ever

i overslept so am watching on an hour delay (currently on the tag match)

but yeah this has all been unbelievably good, i'm in a state of total awe at how good everything is. has there been a PPV in the modern era where they've had a crowd so completely onside? cheers for the faces, boos for the heels. the pop for the rope break in the opening match, the duelling Moxley/Kojima chants, singing along for the surprise after match 2, the Bucks getting "asshole chants".

ahhhhh jesus this is just all so great, i've said it before but it's just a miracle that this company exists.

unnecessary spoiler tag, initially there were actual spoilers but actually i hope ahoyhoy and any other Britisher rassle fans go into this one blind

my only complaint is that i held a pee for an extremely long time because there wasn't enough time!! i gave up during punks entrance!! ill have to watch it back later

if that was really the final Chris Jericho entrance i'll be very sad. but also fucking HUUUUUUGE lol, this show is an all-timer

i'm also realising now in real time that i just do not want Jericho to go, i'm not ready

post final match spoiler jaw literally agape. expected the other guy. love it

post final match lmfao they fucking got me again

truly the best wrestling ppv i’ve ever seen

lucha bros vs. young bucks was match of the night and...year????

lol they gassed that crowd eh

otoh holy shit what a fucking ending

best wrestling company ever, it is extraordinary how hot they are right now

strongly considering using my day off to re-watch that from start to finish, what a show

Good morning everyone.

I woke about 4. Skipped in between matches, the big show, half the Jericho match, half the women’s title and most of the battle royal, just so I could get it all in.

Pretty good damn show, ey?

Fucking loved Moro-Kingston. Genuinely never seen that cheeky ref confusion finish, it seemed like such smart pro wrestling after 15 mins of them knocking the piss out of each other.

The cage match was my match of the year. Poor Penta’s little girls having to get involved though; they were having none of their dad being covered in blood.

Who turned up after the Mox match had me smiling like a fucking child.

I try not to be too pervy when it comes to women’s wrestlers but damn Ruby Soho is like an instant crush. Never paid attention to her in the fed but everyone seemed very excited. The finish to the battle royale was smart, I liked it.

Didn’t care for Jericho v MJF but I did like the countdown fake out. I’m just ready for Jericho to go away at this point.

Was starting to get tired during Darby and Punk but they hooked me at the end. Noticed Punk was already acting a bit heelish. No gross elbow drop, so all good for me.

The main event was good, the end was fucking killer. The everyone’s already dead fake out line had me in fucking stitches. And then to see the show end with a dinosaur and Luke Perry’s son who thinks he’s Tarzan lifting the arm of my favourite ever wrestler just made me happy I’m a way that only pro wrestling could do.

Great fucking show, 10/10. Best wrestling show in years. So fucking hyped about Wednesday. Ridiculously hype about Full Gear already. Love you guys. Going back to bed for an hour.

my review of last night: yes! yes! yes! yes! yes! yes!

i didn't have high expectations for the women's battle royale (felt a little bit like a "i have no idea what to do with the women's division" booking decision) but it was so good, especially ending with rosa and ruby soho

lol sorry i guess that's a spoiler. hard to not spoil this show, it was so special

destination unnnknown
ruby ruby ruby ruby soho