Westside Gunn: The Griselda boss' close-knit wrestling bond is beyond epic
It’s one thing to appear at wrestling events and it’s a whole other thing to do what rap heavyweight Westside Gunn is doing. After ample teasing of wrestling-related flexing going down, he’s showing out and teasing everything from fresh gear to major wrestler collaborations going down.
It’s one thing to appear at wrestling events and it’s a whole other thing to do what rap heavyweight Westside Gunn is doing. After ample teasing of wrestling-related flexing going down, he’s showing out and teasing everything from fresh gear to major wrestler collaborations going down.
Westside Gunn is really going all out with the wrestling Culture
Over the past few. hours, Gunn has shared snapshots of himself in fresh gear hanging out alongside everyone from All Elite Wrestling’s Daniel Garcia to the current world champion of AEW Swerve Strickland.
This run is being documented & will have college curriculums based off it. 💥💥💥🦂🦂🎬 Historic music & clothing dropping soon. ⚡️ (side bar: We fresh from Europe jet lagging but still ahead of you 🥷’s)
‘4TH ROPE IS A LIFESTYLE!!!! 🤘🏽💪🏽 🦂 🐐
Living my childhood dream to be in the wrestling business is surreal I’m not gonna front but this was all apart of GODS plan, 4THROPE is gonna give u the best ART, CULTURE, WRESTLING!!!!! S/O to the @aewchampion @swerveconfident and my 🦬 Bro @garciawrestling Last night was legendary I bought the whole front row for the family and @aew showed so much hospitality they took all 20 of us to the back 🫱🏽🫲🏾 4THROPE RESPECT and yes I know u just seen these @pumasneakers on the AWGE Paris runway show a few days ago and yes I had to snatch the sample tag off the @saucony and I wore them both in the same day #OVERFLY 😂😂 #SUPERFLYGOD #GXFR #ART #WRESTLING#ICON #FASHION #AEW #BUFFALOKIDS
#4THROPE #CULTURE 4THROPE.COM 6/28 NOON est.🔥🔥🔥🔥🤘🏽🤘🏽🤘🏽🤘🏽’
Westside Gunn: The Griselda head did the nicest thing to a true AEW fan and Instagram friend
Sometimes you just have to realize it’s really deeper than rap. For hip-hop heavyweight Westside Gunn, it’s really about The Culture and keeping both his love for true supporters and professional wrestling going strong. What he did for for a fan? Super touching.
Sometimes you just have to realize it’s really deeper than rap. For hip-hop heavyweight Westside Gunn, it’s really about The Culture and keeping both his love for true supporters and professional wrestling going strong. What he did for for a fan? Super touching.
Westside Gunn held down a true AEW fan and friend with a huge surprise
Gunn hit up his Instagram page to dish out details of doing one of the nicest things you’ll read about this week for a pal he connected with on social media. It all centers on last night’s All Elite Wrestling ‘Dynamite’ filming and after reading what he did, you can’t help but love what Gunn represents even more.
‘The reason I had even bought tickets for @aew tonight in Portland is bc I wanted to finally meet my Guy DYLAN.. DYLAN has Autism and he was introduced to me bc the love he has for wrestling, the kid knows it all and we became friends.
I would send him merch and he knew he had a friend in WSG know matter what, so when his mom reached out and said @aew was coming I bought 5 tickets on the spot bc I wanted to surprise him and I was very excited but then I had to handle something important in nyc and couldn’t make it but I still made it happ for him and I told Darby and I’m a tell my good friends @garciawrestling & @the_mjf @stinger if they see him show him love, and I promise you this won’t be the last u see if Dylan I’m going to see my homie VERY soon 🤲🏽❤️🤲🏽
like I keep telling y’all IM DIFFERENT these the things y’all don’t even know about that I’m finally letting y’all see bc I’m tired of seeing the blind leading the blind #GODISTHEGREATEST #SUPERFLYGOD #ANDTHENYOUPRAYFORME#autismawareness #4THROPE Show Dylan some love with a 🦂’
Maxwell Jacob Friedman: The All Elite Wrestling superstar reminds you why he's the king
Bragging rights much? Turns out All Elite Wrestling superstar - and champion - Maxwell Jacob Friedman really feels like he’s more than nice-nice with this sport he’s in. The popular and super witty wrestler steps up to put some respect on his own name.
Bragging rights much? Turns out All Elite Wrestling superstar - and champion - Maxwell Jacob Friedman really feels like he’s more than nice-nice with this sport he’s in. The popular and super witty wrestler steps up to put some respect on his own name.
MJF reminds us why he’s at the top of his game
The AEW champion hit up his Instagram page to geek out about his success. Specifically? He shared a Top 10 list of the top wrestlers under the age of 30.
Last Week in Pro Wrestling Today: Summer Slam doesn't disappoint with Logan Paul's stunner, Bianca Belair's new competition and more
What’s going on Attack The Culture family?! What an interesting past week it was in WWE and AEW. WWE had SummerSlam on Saturday night and AEW is wheeling out some new storylines that have generated some serious attention. In fact, so much happened I can’t really cover it all. WWE was all built around the summer spectacle. Let’s start there.
What’s going on Attack The Culture family?! What an interesting past week it was in WWE and AEW. WWE had SummerSlam on Saturday night and AEW is wheeling out some new storylines that have generated some serious attention. In fact, so much happened I can’t really cover it all. WWE was all built around the summer spectacle. Let’s start there.
SummerSlam officially goes down in grand fashion…
One story built around and after SummerSlam was Drew McIntyre and Sheamus. They FINALLY had their match on SmackDown to see who was next up to face the Undisputed Champ in Cardiff at Clash at the Castle. These two have worked together so much, and threw out more violence than they normally do. In a hard fought, smash mouth kind of match, Drew overcame the entire Brute’s faction and put his long time friend behind him. The number one contender is Drew. I can’t wait to see the match.
SummerSlam was the first pay per view under the new regime. To be honest, it was a really good and entertaining show. Becky and Bianca opened the show for the Raw women’s championship. They’ve stole the show so many times it is almost expected they put on a banger of a match. They did. It was fantastic. An epic conclusion to a great storyline. Once Bianca got the pinfall, cue the return of Bayley. Not only Bayley, and recently released Dakota Kai. Triple H making his mark immediately.
Logan Paul and the Miz were up next. Bad Bunny set the bar high for outsiders coming into WWE. Miz is already great in his own way, brought greatness out of Logan Paul. He was impressive. I am not his biggest fan in the least, but Logan Paul really showed he is an athlete in more ways than one. Outside Brock Lesnar, he may have had the moment of the night. After AJ Styles cleared the ringside area of Ciampa, Logan Paul was able to put in work. Miz laid out on the announce table, Paul made his way to the top rope. In Shane McMahon fashion, Paul took flight off the top rope and landed on Miz putting him through the table. It was a great move. That set up Paul hitting Miz with a Skull crushing finale picking up the W.
Riddle was put on the bench for his match against Seth Rollins. But, Riddle showed up trying to hijack the show. He wanted to fight Rollins in the worst way possible. He got his wish. The revolutionary showed up. The scrap was GREAT for story purposes. Riddle wasn’t ‘medically’ cleared to fight, but he wanted to anyway. Rollins showed his dominance and made quick work of an already injured Riddle. Hit him with The Stomp and put more injuries on Riddle. So now, we wait to see when they throw down. This may end up being a top storyline for months, just like Cody Rhodes.
The Usos and Street Profits tore down the house and then lit it on fire. They created magic in the ring. It was an edge of your seat type deal. Jeff Jarrett did well as he didn’t even have an impact on the match. The match was everything a fan could hope for and more. We got so much out of them, and they gave so much. Just as we thought the Street Profits hit the knockout shot, Jimmy kicked out at two. The rest was history. They didn’t recover. The Usos got their moment and put down Dawkins with the One and Done. Usos retain. Bloodline still draped in gold.
The main event was entertaining as hell. In the seven years of storytelling between Roman and Brock, had their BEST match in all those times. From the intro with the front loader, to Roman being dropped in the ring from said front loader, to the same front loader lifting the ring and launching Roman out the ring. Cue Theory! He brought his briefcase and a ref to try to cash in. Brock made light work just tossing Theory with an F5 in a comical fashion. It was hilarious. As Brock did that, the Usos hit Brock with a Super Kick. Behind that, Roman hit him with a spear. They then buried, yes, buried Brock under the broken announce table. So, an elevated ring, bodies everywhere, and a money in the bank challenger laid out, Roman stood tall. So much happened. It was so fun to see unfold.
Don't forget about All Elite Wrestling wildness either…
AEW had themselves a great night too. Mox had a great match against Rush to open Dynamite. Mox is in that tier of best in the world right now. He brings out the best in everyone he works with nowadays. This match was no different. After Mox got the W, it was only a matter of time before Chris Jericho got another shot at the AEW championship. These two have history from the beginning of AEW. Now we get to see more of them go at it in two weeks as Jericho gets his shot at Mox for the title.
Ricky Starks, the FTW champ took on Danhausen. Made light work of him. He wanted to go again. Another open challenge. Hit Hook’s music. These two have a great match together even though Starks had a match earlier. Starks is crazy talented and it showed. But, Hook is just that good. It was time to put a title on Hook. Your new FTW champ, the son of the man who made it relevant, Taz’s son, Hook is now your FTW champ on AEW.
Just when we thought it was done and over, Starks and Power House Hobbs did an interview after the match. Starks cut an awesome promo, almost like he was turning face, but cue Hobbs and the turn on Ricky Starks. He hit him mid promo with a spinebuster and stormed off. Feud started.
Let’s end on a good note. Jungle Boy finally got on the mic to address Christian Cage. In one of the most edgy storylines going right now in all of professional wrestling, and the personal shots going back and forth, this story will end one way or another. Jungle Boy cut his hardest and most cutting promo in his career. This isn’t the Jungle Boy we know. He’s motivated by vengeance and violence. This story got personal in a hurry after the Express lost their match and titles.
There was so much happening this past week I know I couldn’t cover it all. There was a lot to unravel. If I missed anything you wanted to further the conversation more, drop a comment or hit me on the social media: Twitter: @Proctorious34 or IG: Rproctor23. I will be taking a break for a little bit to handle some personal and professional wise. Can’t wait to get back after it, but when I get back will be just as fun and entertaining. Enjoy the rest of the summer.
Last Week in Professional Wrestling Today: Vince McMahon's shocking retirement, Kevin Gates' AEW punch, Jericho and Kingston get bloody
This past week was really good, but also very saddening for the world of professional wrestling. I don’t want to speed passed the significance of this week. Regardless of how you feel about him now, Vince McMahon is the primary reason professional wrestling is global the way it is today. His retirement not only shakes up the wrestling scene for WWE, but is a major shift in the wrestling world in general. He created some of the greatest characters we have seen, and was one of the driving forces behind the greatest generation of wrestling in the ‘Attitude’ Era. Take a minute and think about all he did, and how the transition from Vince to his daughter Stephanie should be an interesting time. I am not going to take away from AEW this week, but now that this scandal has claimed Vince McMahon, AEW had a great week as well. Let’s start with WWE.
This past week was really good, but also very saddening for the world of professional wrestling. I don’t want to speed passed the significance of this week. Regardless of how you feel about him now, Vince McMahon is the primary reason professional wrestling is global the way it is today. His retirement not only shakes up the wrestling scene for WWE, but is a major shift in the wrestling world in general. He created some of the greatest characters we have seen, and was one of the driving forces behind the greatest generation of wrestling in the ‘Attitude’ Era. Take a minute and think about all he did, and how the transition from Vince to his daughter Stephanie should be an interesting time. I am not going to take away from AEW this week, but now that this scandal has claimed Vince McMahon, AEW had a great week as well. Let’s start with WWE.
It’s all about the Monday Night Raw, dog…
Monday Night Raw set up a few more stories for Summerslam. Becky Lynch led off the show staking her claim to a title match. Bianca Belair took on Carmella for the title. And to no one’s surprise Belair defeated Carmella setting up a rematch that jump started the Big Time Bex express. Remember Becky surprised Becky at Summerslam and defeated Bianca Belair for her title in 26 seconds. Now we get back to where we started. Long term storytelling at it’s finest. We will see it come to fruition this coming Saturday night.
We also had the return of the Kevin Owens show. KO’s guest was none other than the original Bro, Riddle. The meteoric rise of Riddle has also caught the attention of KO. While his best friend Randy Orton is healing, Owens had the idea of keeping the tag team going with the idea of Bro-KO. I mean, it sounded good in my head, but Riddle declined because of his unfinished business with Seth ‘Freakin’ Rollins. They square off at Summerslam. Can’t wait to see it honestly.
I can’t stand the guy, but his personality is one of a WWE superstar. Logan Paul showed up to confront the Miz. He came after the Miz and the running joke of Miz’s tiny balls. It’s a funny line, and gets a big pop. Miz is always going to find a way to get a reaction, and he is overly successful right now with this gimmick. Logan Paul doubled down on his match at Summerslam with the Miz. I got the Miz by the way.
Time to layeth the SmackDown…
SmackDown was not very story driven this week. It was a few good spots and they revolved around The Usos and The Street Profits. Theory came out to interrupt the Street Profits, and decided to make it even more known he is going to cash in at on Brock or Roman. This triggered the Usos to come out and defend the Tribal Chief. Theory also has beef with Madcap Moss. That’s six people fighting with each other. What better way to squash things than a six man tag match.
Before the six man tag, Sheamus and Drew McIntyre had a pretty good segment. The match is finally going to happen to settle the number one contender for after SummerSlam. It will be settled next week, essentially in a street fight, but Angela, Drew’s sword is banned from ringside. Who do you think is up next?
The six man tag match was really great, and sets up another great match between the Usos and Street Profits. Mixing in Theory and Madcap was good for everyone. It helped drive home the significance of the Money in the Bank winner and the beef with the Bloodline. All the hard hitting and high flying action, Theory tried to bail only for The Usos to break him down. Theory got the disqualification hitting Madcap with the briefcase. This triggered the Beast Incarnate to show up and drop Theory. Brock Lesnar just annihilated Theory driving the point home, regardless if he cashes in, he’s got no chance in hell to beat Roman or Brock.
AEW’s Dynamite with a ton of Rampage…
AEW had some GREAT moments this week. NXT and WWE may have missed on this opportunity for a good rivalry, Miro and Malakai Black. Two great performers and amazing characters. Now their characters have a good story to back their upcoming rivalry. Miro the Redeemer and the House of Black. LET’S GET IT!
Professional wrestling is attracting all sorts of artists nowadays. Tony Khan is not above letting them get involved in the show either. Kevin Gates was sitting ringside and was enjoying the show like a casual fan watching the celebration of Swerve in their Glory. Cue Tony Neese. In an attempt to get Gates to sign a petition. He popped off to the wrong one, and Kevin Gates laid out Neese. It was a great spot, and pretty funny honestly.
Christian Cage and Luchasaurus had a match. In typical heel fashion, Luchasaurus did all the heavy work and Cage got the pinfall to secure the victory. Once the pinfall was completed, cue Jungle Boy’s music. THAT’S RIGHT! HE’S BACK! After taking all the bashing he took while injured, Jungle Boy is healthy enough to make his return and go after Cage. Luchasaurus even made sure to not get in Jungle Boy’s way in his pursuit of Cage.
Lastly, the biggest match of the week, aside from our boy Claudio winning the ROH title (FINALLY!) Jericho and Kingston tore down the house in their barbwire everywhere death match. It was as over the top, and violent as you could imagine. The Jericho Appreciation Society was in a shark cage over the ring controlled by Rubi Soho. In typical Jericho fashion, there was a plan in place to get the team out of the cage. Blood spilling everywhere, Jericho needed help, and he got it in the form of an attack on Soho. This freed the JAS to attack Kingston. Kingston had backup as well in the Blackpool Combat Club who took down the JAS. As Kingston was about to put Jericho away, cue Sammy Guevara! His interference allowed Jericho to hit the Judas Effect elbow and put down the Mad King. In his last act of defiance, Kingston dropped Jericho on the bed of barbwire outside the ring.
It was an eventful week, but the main story was Vince McMahon retiring. We joked about what it would be like if he did retire, now we get to find out. If I missed anything you wanted to talk about, like AJ dropping Theory, or Orange Cassidy taking on Brodie King, drop a comment or hit me up on the social media: Twitter: @Proctorious34 or IG: Rproctor23. See you all next week!
Last Week in Pro Wrestling Today: Brock Lesnar goes beast mode, AEW's new tag team champions, Usos and Street Profits get intense
Another great past week in professional wrestling from start to finish. Raw actually came to my town this week in San Antonio. It’s always a great time when you can get to the show and see these performers live. Especially seeing someone the stature of Brock Lesnar. We will comeback to that in a few. AEW Fyte Fest was on top of the world this week, they are causing WWE to react now moving up to the rating to TV-14. I wonder how that changes the shows. But let’s start with WWE.
Another great past week in professional wrestling from start to finish. Raw actually came to my town this week in San Antonio. It’s always a great time when you can get to the show and see these performers live. Especially seeing someone the stature of Brock Lesnar. We will comeback to that in a few. AEW Fyte Fest was on top of the world this week, they are causing WWE to react now moving up to the rating to TV-14. I wonder how that changes the shows. But let’s start with WWE.
It’s all about the Monday Night Raw, dog…
Raw was an amazing show this week. It’s been a while since I have been able to say that about Raw. Brock Lesnar opened the show, and being there, television didn’t capture how loud the arena was for his return. Regardless of how you as a fan see him, Brock gets the biggest pop wherever he goes. This is because you can count on seeing some serious feats of strength. What do I mean by that? He picked up our boi Otis, WITH EASE, and flipped him through the announce table. Seeing it was incredible.
The match of the year for WWE may have happened in San Antonio. Rey Mysterio took on Judgement Day’s Finn Balor. This was hands down one of the best matches I have seen since Wrestlemania (Becky v. Bianca). Finn and Rey stole the show for sure. High flying and technical in the best possible way. Finn won after delivering the Coup de Grace. Judgement Day now has the Mysterio’s number.
The main event for Raw was a tag match between Riddle/Bobby Lashley and Seth Rollins/Theory. It was hard-hitting, borderline No DQ, and awesome. Riddle is going to be a huge star if he is not already. His feud with Seth Rollins going forward will put him in that upper echelon of WWE talent. Lashley showed off too with his upcoming SummerSlam opponent and Mr. Money in the Bank Theory. The highlight of the match was watching Bobby Lashley spear Rollins through the barricade. Leading to Riddle hitting an RKO on Theory for the win.
Time To Layeth The Smacketh Down…
SmackDown wasn’t at its peak this week. Aside from the Usos/Street Profits, there was not much story development. The New Day had a great segment clowning the Viking Raiders, but we are still waiting for them to square off. Paul Heyman was in his typical role as a great mouthpiece. His promos with Theory and MadCap were good at presenting the Tribal Chief Roman Reigns as ‘worried.‘
The story which drove the show was The Usos and Street Profits. Jimmy and Angelo Dawkins squared off in the main event. The match was great. These two were just a small piece of the action. Sami Zayn made his presence known, taking his ‘honorary Uso’ status seriously. He confronted Theory before the match started. Can you imagine after Brock and Roman beat the hell out of each, he comes Theory to cash in, but Sami Zayn comes to the rescue?
Back to Jimmy and Dawkins. Remember how their match at Money in the Bank ended? Ford’s shoulder was up at the 3 count, same can be said for Jimmy. He lost, his shoulder was up before the 3 count. This brings out Adam Pearce to announce the special ref for the tag team match at Summerslam. It’s in Nashville, so why not bring out Hall of Famer Double J? I hope it works. Have to wait and see I guess.
All Out All Elite Wrestling…
AEW started Fyter Fest this week. For the next few weeks we are going to see some 7 star (FTR) matches, some promos that push the envelope, and maybe even some blood spilled, because that’s just how Jon Moxley works. Professional wrestling fans are in for a treat. The show opened with some freshly squeezed Orange Cassidy and the monster known as Wardlow for the TNT championship. I don’t know who continues to doubt Cassidy, but this guy can go with ANYONE. His style and his character can go with anyone in the world. Just look at his feud with Jericho a few years ago. He gave the TNT champ all he could handle. Cassidy made one mistake that led to the power bomb by Wardlow to get the victory and remain champ. But, afterwards, Wardlow gave Cassidy a fist bump as a sign of respect as he knows he may have to face him again at some point.
Claudio (aka Cesaro) faced off against Jake Hager. Where’s my guy Jim Ross?! This match was a straight slobber knockers as good ole J.R would put it. These two could fight every week and I doubt anyone would get tired of them. Fight forever for all I care. As a fan, this is what I would want to see more of in the future. These two showcasing large wrestlers can have a QUALITY match. They went power move for power move, high flying moves, and even the SWING! Claudio got the W over Hager in power house fashion.
The main event was the triple threat match for the AEW tag team championship. Everyone involved had an amazing spot. The Young Bucks brought everyone to the super kick party. Keith Lee and Power House Hobbs showed unbelievable feats of strength. Swerve had some of the best acrobatics I’ve seen. Swerve in our Glory found their opening to take the match. Swerve gave the stomp to Ricky Starks giving them the victory and being crowned the new Tag Champs of AEW. This can only mean, Swerve and Keith Lee may have to take on the Young Buck here soon as they did not really ‘lose’ the belts. So we will have to wait and see where they decide to go.
That’s all for this week Attack The Culture fam. If I missed something you want to continue the conversation about, like Moxley’s title eliminator match, Jericho accepting Kingston’s challenge, or Bianca and Becky’s continued feud, drop a comment or hit me up on the social media: Twitter: @Proctorious34 or IG: Rproctor23.
Last Week in Pro Wrestling Today: Becky Lynch is back, The Tribal Chief speaks and AEW keeps delivering
Sorry about last week Attack The Culture family. I had some matters to attend to and couldn’t put the piece together. But, DAMN, did some serious things happen in these last two weeks. Money in the Bank brought some serious drama going forward. So much to cover, but what we’re going to do is just focus on this week. WWE is building towards SummerSlam and AEW is building towards something…BIG but we don’t know what quite yet. WWE is where we begin things.
Sorry about last week Attack The Culture family. I had some matters to attend to and couldn’t put the piece together. But, DAMN, did some serious things happen in these last two weeks. Money in the Bank brought some serious drama going forward. So much to cover, but what we’re going to do is just focus on this week. WWE is building towards SummerSlam and AEW is building towards something…BIG but we don’t know what quite yet. WWE is where we begin things.
It’s all about the Monday Night Raw, dog…
On Monday Night Raw last week we saw Bobby Lashley open up the show and dropped an interesting nugget about no one in ANY PROMOTION can stop him or take his title from him. I wonder what that means. Let’s wait and see. Cue, Mr. Money in the Bank, Theory? Yeah, Mr. McMahon’s protege was inserted into the ladder match, and then interrupted the All Mighty to let him know he’s got his rematch set, and also has the plan to potentially cash in on the Beast or Tribal Chief.
The feel good story of the last two week has been Liv Morgan. Ms. Money in the Bank, NOW WWE WOMEN’S SMACKDOWN CHAMPION! YES! Ask any WWE fan and they will let you know how it felt to see her cash in on Ronda Rousey. Just look up the video of Michael Cole and Pat McAfee calling the cash in. EVERYONE felt like they did. And we let her know how happy we were.
The Street Profits made it known they were robbed at Money in the Bank as Montez Ford’s shoulders were up. Keep an eye on this one because Kayla Braxton planted the seed there are some feathers ruffling between the two. They wholeheartedly denied it, but i’ll never forget as a kid, Shawn Michaels rise to stardom happened with the Super Kick heard round the world to Marty Jannetty breaking up the Rockers. So…let’s see what happens at SummerSlam.
Asuka and Becky Lynch closed out the show in No Holds Barred fashion. Becky has been in a slump and needed this victory to right the ship and hopefully work her way back to the title picture. It was entertaining as hell. Tables, chairs, umbrellas, it was great. A fitting end to this rivalry. Becky got the win after putting Asuka through a table with a Man Handle slam off the second rope. What’s next is the question.
Time To Layeth The SmackDown…
SmackDown was pretty good. We got the Tribal Chief back to address the Brock Lesnar match and Paul Heyman stole the set. Once again, Mr. Money in the Bank showed up just to tease the Tribal Chief with his brief case and a reminder he’s there watching, everything and every move. The Last Man standing match could prove the shortest reign of either Brock Lesnar’s career or the end of Roman’s reign as champ.
Liv Morgan made another appearance only to be interrupted by Natalya. She’s proving to be one their top heels. Doing pretty well at it too. Then, here comes former champ Ronda Rousey to confront Nattie, and Liv. This led to a match to determine Liv’s first opponent. Ronda Rousey was still limping after Nattie injured her knee, but Ronda proved to be the better competitor getting Nattie to tap lining up LIv and Ronda at SummerSlam.
Gunther issued an open challenge, but deemed no one was worthy. Here comes our man Shinsuke Nakumara to challenge his associate Dutch Mantell. Shinsuke is back on the upswing of things. Ever since his partner Rick Boogs was injured at WrestleMania Shinsuke has been trying to find his way back to the title picture. It just so happens he’s going head to head now with the Ring General Gunther. This should make for an interesting program. Can’t wait.
All Elite Wrestling craziness…
Now, on to the heat that has been AEW over the last few weeks. My guy Claudio (aka Cesaro) is now All Elite! I can’t tell you how happy this made me. He was hands down one of my favorite wrestlers in the world. He joined the Blackpool Combat Club as Bryan Danielson gets better from injury. He stepped in at Blood and Guts and secured the victory for the BCC. This sparked a feud between Jake Hager and Claudio. They square off this week. Along with Jericho and Eddie Kingston.
Without bias, I can say AEW has the best tag team division of all the promotions. From FTR to the Young Bucks, almost every tag team is legit, and I am a HUGE Usos fan. The Young Bucks decided to put their titles to the test against two of the better AEW tag teams. Ricky Starks/Powerhouse Hobbs along with Keith Lee/Swerve in a triple threat match. I honestly can’t wait to see it unfold.
There were two title defenses this week. Wardlow came for the TNT Championship against Scorpio Sky. It was hard hitting. It turned into a high flying action as well. Wardlow showcased his power and Scorpio showcased his unbelievable athletic abilities. Power won out. Wardlow is your new TNT champion.
Jon Moxley decided to take on the biggest man in the room in Brodie King as his first opponent for the interim AEW championship. Brodie King is a tough character. His hard hitting style and overwhelming power fit right into the style Moxley loves to play. Violence ensued. Mox had probably one of the toughest tests of his professional career. They gave everything they had to this match. Brodie King established himself as a contender in the near future. Mox is showing willing to take on anyone after this match, who steps up next?
In another great week of professional wrestling, so much happened and I only have so much time to keep your attention. If you want to keep the conversation going, about what the hell is going on with Christian Cage or how the New Day has a new mountain to climb with the Viking Raiders, drop a comment or hit me on the social media: Twitter: @Proctorious34 or IG: Rproctor23. Talk with you all next week!
Last Week in Professional Wrestling Today: Vince McMahon's unexpected exit, Riddle pushes Roman Reigns to the brink, Ortiz loses it
This week is brought to you by our dope folks over in the Smartish cell phone accessories. They set me up with some good accessories for Father’s Day!
This week is brought to you by our dope folks over in the Smartish cell phone accessories. They set me up with some good accessories for Father’s Day!
This past week was bananas for professional wrestling. WWE is building towards Money in the Bank, while Mr. McMahon is dealing with personal issues forcing him to temporarily step down as CEO. More to come on that front. AEW is building for Forbidden Door, and it just keeps getting spicier. But let’s start with WWE.
Monday Night Rawness…
Monday Night Raw was great again this week. Paul Heyman opened up the show on Miz TV. He was in the middle of cutting his promo about Riddle v. Roman for the Universal Undisputed Championship. Riddle has been having a fantastic run of late, constantly showing love to his bro, Randy Orton. The Usos showed up to bring the intimidation to Riddle, but just as that happened. Here comes the number 1 contenders The Street Profits. Before the match though, Heyman left Riddle with the stipulation. If Riddle wins, fine, he’s the champ, but if he loses, as long as Roman is champ he can never challenge him again. More to follow later.
More MITB qualifying matches followed. But, this match stole the night. AJ Styles v. Seth ‘Freakin’ Rollins. No one in WWE has been on a better role, despite his losing streak to Cody, than the Visionary. Monday Night Rollins is the deal. He’s having great match after great match, and this one was no different. Both AJ and Seth deserve to be in the match, which is why I was surprised it was booked this way. Seth came out victorious after another banger of a match. Having him as the first established competitor in the ladder match.
In typical entertainment value fashion, Bobby Lashley went up against Theory in a ‘pose off.’ Lashley of course won. He’s just a ridiculous athlete. Theory then decided to take his shot at Bobby Lashley spraying him with baby oil. Yeah…I know. Super sus, but funny nonetheless. This will undoubtedly lead to Lashley v. Theory for the United States Championship in the near future.
The Vince McMahon situation…
Before Smackdown officially kicked off the chairman of WWE Vince McMahon addressed the WWE Universe, well, sort of. I mean with the story breaking of him stepping aside for Stephanie McMahon until this investigation concludes, we hoped he would say something to address it, and his daughter. Nah fam, Vinnie Mac is an expert business man. He came out essentially in character, said the WWE slogan, and then said I’m out. Frustrating for fans for sure. But, he knows what he’s doing.
It’s all about the SmackDown…
SmackDown revolved around the Tribal Chief and Riddle, but just hang tight, we will get there. Money in the Bank is in two weeks and we only have one sure competitor announced, until now. Adam Pearce finally addressed the elephant in the room regarding Drew McIntyre and Sheamus from last week’s qualifying match. Sheamus is in. Drew beat the hell out of Sheamus, Pearce apparently forgot to finish the sentence, letting Drew know, he was in the match too. So now we have three big timers in the match. Seth, Drew, Sheamus, and now we wait for the final entrants.
Madcap Moss took on Happy Corbin in a last laugh match, thus ending their feud. It was heavy hitting. It was big moves. As our boy former WWE Champ Big E would put the saying, “big meaty men, slapping meat” (Get better soon E.) After Moss got the pin, Corbin came out of left field going after… Pat Mcafee? Yeah. Corbin apparently has got beef with the energetic commentator. This looks like another match being set up for Summerslam in Nashville. I guess we will have to wait and see what the plan is going forward.
The whole week build up to this moment on SmackDown. Riddle v. Roman for the Undisputed Universal Title. Roman, even with the time off, is in peak form. Riddle gave everything he had to this match. He will no doubt be in the title picture again within the next year. Riddle is a top tier talent for WWE. Thing is, he was dealing with probably the biggest wrestler in the world. Sorry, AEW fans, but it’s a fact. Talent wise is one thing, but the money thing, is with the Tribal Chief. Roman won another amazing match. There’s ‘no one’ left. Roman’s beat everyone. So who could be next. Me talking to myself: Damn it. He’s right, because the guy we wanted to challenge him in Bobby Lashley is tied up with Theory. Who could it be? If you said Brock Lesnar, congrats, AGAIN! HIT THE MUSIC AND THE BEAST SHALL RETURN! The match is set for Summerslam as a last man standing match. Maybe this is just the make up for the original match at Mania as Roman got injured and had to cut the match short. Well, let’s see where we go from here!
All Elite Wrestling madness…
AEW led off with the heated rivalry of The Wizard Chris Jericho and Ortiz in a hair v. hair match. Loser shaves their head. As is the staple now with many of these matches nowadays, it was more blood. But, damned if it wasn’t great. So much built to the end, when for some reason Fuego Del Sol interfered costing Ortiz the match and his hair. Walking up the ramp, Fuego took off his mask to reveal it was actually Sammy Guevara. Crazy surprise as he has distanced himself from Jericho and the crew since the Inner Circle. Blood and Guts will be intense. For real cannot wait for that match.
With Forbidden Door around the corner, New Japan’s Will Ospreay took on Dax of FTR. When I say it was a wrestling match of the year candidate, I am not kidding. No title involved. Nothing on the line but putting on a great show. It was amazing. After Ospreay got the win, we saw the factions make their appearance. We even got the return of some Freshly Squeezed, Orange Cassidy. It’s been awhile, but i can tell you the fans marked out hard AF when his music hit. Hands in the pockets and the aviators in full power, it was DOPE!
Now, with what happened with Jeff Hardy being suspended, they were removed from the AEW tag titles ladder match. We got Jurassic Express and The Young Bucks. This was a match you had to see to understand why it is so hard for me to put into words and describe. Two of the better tag teams in the world showcased why in this one. The Young Bucks came out on top and are the new AEW tag champs. But, that’s not where it ends. Christian Cage came out to check on his team after the defeat. He picked up Jungle Boy, then hit him with The Killswitch. Cage has officially turned heel on AEW and Dynamite went off the air. Look up what Cage says to Jungle Boy’s mom. It would’ve been great to see on television. I laughed though to.
What a good week for fans. Can’t wait to see where either promotion decides to go with their stories. Money in the Bank is coming, so is Forbidden Door. Now we just enjoy the build. Until next week everyone, if you want to continue the conversation drop a comment or find me on Twitter: @zero2hero or IG: Rproctor23 Until next week!
Last Week in Pro Wrestling Today: CM Punk's shocking announcement, Usos keep winning and Hell in a Cell predictions
Before we get into it, I may not be his biggest fan, I hope CM Punk comes through on his promise to comeback better and stronger. It’s very unfortunate for us as fans to see someone his caliber to get injured before he can make his first title defense. Good luck and get well.
Before we get into it, I may not be his biggest fan, I hope CM Punk comes through on his promise to comeback better and stronger. It’s very unfortunate for us as fans to see someone his caliber to get injured before he can make his first title defense. Good luck and get well.
***This was written before Hell in a Cell tonight***
What an insane week it has been for professional wrestling. AEW came up HUGE with Double or Nothin’ and WWE had their gone home shows getting ready for tonight’s Hell in a Cell. So much was around AEW let’s stay there for a second.
AEW’s Double or Nothin’ lives up to the hype…
AEW coming off their Wrestlemania level event, Double or Nothin’ set the stage for a helluva Dynamite. Now, with all that happened last Sunday, two stories were what stuck with fans. MJF and Wardlow opening the show. MJF was rumored to not show up because he ghosted a fan event. He opened the show and showed up in typical troll fashion. But, then here came Wardlow. My buddy who was at the show, television couldn’t capture the energy that was in the building for this one. Wardlow squashed MJF, kind of expected, but the energy after the three count was ridiculous. One of the few times you could say there was no match you could take a break. It was banger after banger, especially the Arena Anarchy match, which is now going to be a Blood & Guts match at the next PPV.
The other story coming out of Double or Nothin’ CM Punk and Hangman Adam Page. A match of the year candidate. Both wrestlers gave everything they had to this match. You felt emotions. You felt every exchange. And it got to a point where I honestly didn’t care who won, but what a great match they were putting on. Eventually CM Punk got over and the arena was deafening as you couldn’t hear his music hit on the tv. It was incredible. An AEW moment that should last forever with Tony Khan and his fanbase.
Those two stories bled into Dynamite. CM Punk and FTR opened the show and put on another fantastic match. Then it happened. Punk starts limping. Not sure if he’s selling the move or if it’s real. We let it go. They win the match and the hype for MJF starts. We’ll comeback to Punk in a second. MJF drops his ‘pipe bomb’ on AEW and Tony Khan. Now either this is the most elaborate work of all time, or he hit one of the hardest shoot’s in wrestling history. Fans felt what he was saying. Every word was chosen specifically to get a reaction from his boss, until he had the mic cut off. Whether you like him or not MJF is the next big thing for wrestling. He’s got it all. AEW pulled his merch from the store, so it looks like his shoot was successful, but now we wait.
Back to CM Punk. He’s limping. He gives us the social media saying he has an announcement, not sure where it’s coming from but huge announcement. He’s injured. In such a way he was going to vacate the title and be out of action for some time to get better. Tony Khan has a better idea. Battle Royale on Wednesday to see who goes at number 1 contender Jon Moxley for an interim world champion. Then, when Punk comes back healthy we have a unification match. Whoever wins will be in good hands in regards to challengers until Punk returns. I know we can’t wait to see him back since we won’t get to see the potential legendary run he could’ve gone on.
WWE’s just hitting different right now…
WWE was hitting on all cylinders as well getting ready for tonight. Raw was really entertaining. The Riddle/Shinsuke vs. The Usos was amazing. Riddle is probably on his way to superstar status when his tag days are done. He’s been phenomenal. Pair that with an already established Shinsuke and the best tag team in the company, everyone is elevated. This match set up for a rematch on Smackdown. Which we will get to later.
Cody Rhodes and Seth Rollins are the attraction. They’re the guys right now, while our tribal chief is taking some deserved time off. The promos cut by both these men was top tier. Seth broke the code mentioning what Cody has been up to these last six years away. Cody swung back by literally swinging back. Their match tonight has the potential to be in that match of the year conversation as well. Only one way to find out. Watch tonight.
The Raw women’s championship is heating up as well. Asuka/Becky/Bianca will be top tier too. All three of these women are capable of putting on a show stealing match, just watch Wrestlemania. Becky finding her way into this match makes it must see. Now, we get three of the top women wrestlers in the world on the same stage. Can’t wait!
SmackDown sets the stage for Hell in a Cell…
SmackDown was good, but not as much happened pushing towards Sunday as it is mostly a Raw driven pay per view. But, what did happen was HUGE. We got the title match set up for Ronda Rousey. Natalya came out the victor for her six pack challenge. These two are friends and train together quite a bit. Now, we get to see them square up may be at Money in the Bank. I am curious if Ronda will be able to keep up with how experienced Nattie is in these big moments. But, Ronda has a challenger, and it’s a good one.
Lastly, The Usos put their unified titles on the line against Shin/Riddle. In another barn burner, this match probably would’ve been better served for this evening in the main event. But, that’s okay. We got it Friday night. Both teams put on one helluva show. It was freaking awesome. The storytelling in this one was top notch. Just as Riddle was about to hit another Super-RKO off the top rope, Roman Reigns music hits. Distracted for a split second, Jimmy tags in as Jey takes the RKO off the top. Jimmy hits the big splash and gets the win for the Usos. Roman was not scheduled to be there, so why would his music hit? Especially at that time in the match. Cut to Sami Zayn cheering in the truck, “IT WORKED!” He comes out to celebrate with the Usos and Riddle loses his sh*t! Chases them down and wants all the smoke. End the show.
What a great week. And tonight should be great as well. Make sure to tune into Peacock for Hell in a Cell. Here’s my predictions for the evening:
HIAC match: Cody v. Seth: Cody
Raw Women’s Championship Tripe Threat: (C)Bianca v. Becky Lynch v. Asuka: And New: Asuka (upset)
United States Championship: (C) Theory v. Mustafa Ali: And Still: Theory
Handicap match: Omos/MVP v. Bobby Lashley: Lashley
Judgement Day v. Bulliv Club: Judgement Day (someone turns, idk who, but someone)
Kevin Owens v. Eli…Ezekiel: Ezekiel
No Holds Barred Match: Happy Corbin v. Madcap Moss: Madcap Moss
As I said, A LOT happened last week. If I missed anything you wanted to talk about, like my dude Miro making his return or when are we going to see Sasha/Naomi again. Hit me up on the socials: Twitter: @zero2hero or IG: Rproctor23. Have a great night. Enjoy the show!
Last Week in Pro Wrestling Today: WWE gets emotional, Becky Lynch's going all in, AEW's jam-packed bouts
With all the shenanigans which happened the week prior, this passed week gave us a bit of a moment to catch our breath. It was great stuff from both WWE and AEW, but sheesh, we needed a break from all the dopeness which transpired. WWE for starters was entertaining as always, and AEW needed the one final push for Double or Nothin’ in Las Vegas.
***This was written prior to Sunday’s AEW Double or Nothin’***
It’s all about Monday Night Raw, dog…
Monday Night Raw started off on an emotional ride with our Bro, Riddle. He got emotional when talking about his best friend Randy Orton, who is nursing a back injury. After his promo, the six man tag was on. The Street Profits and Riddle vs. the Usos and Sami Zayn (honorary member). In what was another great match which I think is foreshadowing a soon to be feud with the Usos and Street Profits. In a hard fought match, the Usos decided to bounce and leave it up to Sami who was eventually slaughtered. Poor guy, not really.
In the primary story going on Raw right now, around Cody Rhodes and Seth ‘Freakin’ Rollins, we saw Cody take on The Miz. I don’t know if the Miz gets enough credit for how well he works with EVERYONE. I believe Bully Ray said it best, ‘he could lose every match for the rest of his career and still have heat.’ Cody was all set to win and here comes the Visionary. He put another beat down on Cody to send a message about going into the Hell in a Cell match with Rollins. Can’t wait to see it unfold.
Becky Lynch is still trying to find her way into the Raw Women’s championship match ahead of Asuka. Big time Beck’s and Asuka threw down in the Main Event. It was hard fought. It was high risk moves. It was great storytelling by both competitors. With Bianca sitting ringside, you knew something was going to happen. Becky ends up in Bianca’s lap, Asuka winds up a kick, Becky ducks, and DOWN GOES THE CHAMP. Asuka off that distraction gets rolled up in the ring and now at Hell in a Cell, for the Raw Women’s championship, it is now a triple threat match. Becky, Asuka, and Belair. LET’S GO!
Time to layeth the SmackDown…
Smackdown had one of the best swerves I have seen since the return of Seth Rollins after his injury. The Usos opened the show getting super emotional about where they are currently in their careers and breaking character just enough to be believable. Only for the ultimate heel moment to swerve the fans into some serious heat. Then, hit Shinsuke Nakumara’s music, with a new partner…..Riddle?? Yes, RIDDLE! The new Bro’s laid out the challenge to the Usos, and the fight was on. Looks like we have our first challengers for the Undisputed champs.
In one of the more entertaining moments of the week, Sami Zayn was on the KO Show. Both were throwing jabs about Ezekiel is Elias’ brother to Sami Zayn not being in the Bloodline, hence the honorary member. These two could’ve talked for the whole show and it still would have been great. But, Sami took Kevin Owens comments to heart and brought them to the Usos. Now, we wait to see where it goes from there.
Lastly for WWE, Drew-Day Rocks! (New Day Rocks!) Yup, Drew is back from his promotional tour for the WWE in Wales. He joined the New Day as they took on the Battling Brutes faction. And after the match was over, we got something we didn’t know we needed. Drew McIntyre….dancing. He’s back and he’s having fun. Now we get ready for Hell in a Cell.
All Elite Wrestling’s Double or Nothin’ craziness…
It’s Double or Nothin’ weekend for AEW. In an emotional face to face, Hangman Adam Page and CM Punk, cut each other SUPER deep in what felt like a shoot promo for both. The build to this one seemed a little lackluster until this happened. Punk and Page have the capability to teardown the house tonight. I can’t wait. But, that match is not the one I am most excited about. WARDLOW!
Wardlow faced off against Shawn Spears with our dude, MJF as the special referee. It went about as good as expected. MJF re-established he is the ULTIMATE heel. His character is built so well as the ultimate heel, that you can’t help but like him. You don’t want to, but you can’t help yourself. With that, you also have to ultimate super hero in Wardlow. Wardlow found a way to get the victory and now has his match with the man who can free him from his contract. Should be exciting nonetheless.
If you enjoy highfliers, and acrobatics in your wrestling matches, Ricky Starks, Jungle Boy, and Swerve probably put you in a special place. This match was super dope from bell to bell. Swerve picked up the W, but that led to the build for the AEW Tag Titles match tonight. We saw all three teams involved get their spot. I can’t wait to see Luchasaurus, Keith Lee and Powerhouse Hobbs in the ring at the same time. I just hope the ring holds up.
The finals for the Owen Hart Foundation tournaments are set. Samoa Joe vs. Adam Cole (BAYBAY!!) and Brit Baker, D.M.D vs. Ruby Soho. Both matches are capable of stealing the show. In a wild tournament, it all comes to an end tonight. As a wrestling fan, this evening can’t get here fast enough. Split screen it with game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals.
AEW Double or Nothin’ predictions:
Hangman Page (Champ) vs. CM Punk: CM Punk (heel turn)
Adam Cole vs. Samoa Joe: Adam Cole
Brit Baker vs. Ruby Soho: Brit Baker
Jericho Appreciation Society vs. Blackpool Combat Club w/ Eddie Kingston, Santana & Ortiz: Blackpool Combat Club
MJF vs. Wardlow: Wardlow
House of Black vs. Death Triangle: House of Black
Thunder Rosa (Champ) vs. Serena Deeb: Thunder Rosa
The Young Bucks vs. The Hardys: Young Bucks
TBS Women’s Champ Jade Cargill vs. Anna J.: (upset) Anna J.
Hook-Hausen vs. Neese/Sterling: Hook-Hausen
AEW Tag Team Champs Luchasaurus/Jungle Boy vs. Keith Lee/Swerve vs. Team Taz: Team Taz
Have a great week Attack The Culture family! Talk with you all next week. Hit me with the comments or on the social media: Twitter: @Zero2hero or IG: Rproctor23.
Last Week In Pro Wrestling Today: Sasha Banks and Naomi vs WWE, Bobby Lashley gets caged - literally and more
Last week in professional wrestling was solid for AEW, but WWE crushed the game this week. Raw, while it is considered the secondary show, was really good this week and is building some good storylines. As a matter of fact, that is where we are going to start.
Last week in professional wrestling was solid for AEW, but WWE crushed the game this week. Raw, while it is considered the secondary show, was really good this week and is building some good storylines. As a matter of fact, that is where we are going to start.
It’s all about the Monday Night Raw, dog…
Monday Night Raw started off with a pretty dope match in Omos and Bobby Lashley. This story is building towards something big. Two large people, throwing bombs at each other. Big moves and even MVP finding a way to get involved. Omos ended the match tossing Lashley through the cage. Yes, THROUGH THE CAGE! It was a super dope stunt. This is going to end at Hell in a Cell, but the stipulation has to be something BIG.
The story brewing right now is what happened with Sasha Banks and Naomi. In what was a surprise, Banks and Naomi walked out of the main event which was supposed to be a 6 pack match. It changed the energy for the evening. In a move which surprised even the announcers, the women’s tag team champions walked out of the match as they had issues with the creative process for their titles. WWE released a statement about the walkout, and even Michael Cole addressed in on SmackDown. It’s a tough situation as I more times than not side with the talent. More will follow I am sure. Just pay attention to social media.
Cody Rhodes is looking to end his feud with Seth Rollins. In dropping one of his hardest promos since his return to WWE. The challenge was laid out, Rhodes/Rollins Part 3, Hell in a Cell. Seth responded laughing as he accepted the challenge. Now, we wait for the pay per view.
Time to Layeth The SmackDown…
SmackDown. The A1 show for WWE put on one of their best shows in recent memory. The build toward the main event was awesome. We saw Shinsuke defeat Sami Zayn in a hard fought match. We also saw Xavier Woods get a W over Butch and then make a promise to have backup for the New Day. Who could it be? WHO? WHO?
In one of the best matches either team has had, The Usos and RK-Bro tore the house down. Each team was able to showcase all their arsenal. The most impressive had to be Riddle. He’s battling injuries and was able to carry his weight. The high point came as Riddle was about to land a SUPER RKO off the top rope, Paul Heyman creates the distraction, and here comes your Tribal Chief to knock off Riddle the ropes allowing Jey to hit the big Splash to win the Raw tag team championships. Riddle and Randy Orton will be out of commission for a bit as they will be undergoing some medical evaluations. But, damn what a show.
It’s AEW Dy-na-mite!
AEW Dynamite was pretty good as stated earlier. The appearance of Johnny Elite as the Joker to face Samoa Joe gave the crowd some serious energy going forward. Joe picked up the victory but Johnny killed it in his spot.
It feels as though CM Punk and Hangman Page have yet to really hit their boiling point yet. Page had a match with CM Punk as the guest commentator. Hangman won to no one’s surprise, but how he won was the story. After he hit his Buck Shot Lariot, he stared down Punk. Picked up his opponent and hit him with a GTS much like Punk won using the ‘Punk’ Shot Lariot to his opponent last week. They crossed paths on the ramp and neither one threw a punch. The heat hasn’t been as high, but we will see what happens next week when they go face to face.
MJF. I swear, if there is a heel out there better than MJF, I haven’t seen them. MJF is one of those guys that just gets ‘it.’ Whatever it is, MJF has it in droves. Wardlow has been built up well in this program too. He took his lashes without flinching until MJF hit the groin shot and him and Shawn Spears tore him apart. Wardlow gets Spears in a cage match with MJF as the special referee. So, that will be an interesting spin on how Wardlow must keep his composure to eventually get his match with MJF at Double or Nothin’.
The Jericho Appreciation Society has beef with almost everyone. Apparently sports entertainers are frowned upon in AEW. The Blackpool Combat Club and the JAS exchanged some words which turned into what you would expect, a fight. Regal and Jericho were great, but what else is new. They’re always great. How this will pan out with BCC, JAS, and Kingston with Santana and Ortiz is going to be colossal. Can’t wait to see it unfold.
Lastly, this one has just been entertaining as hell. Hook and Danhausen, HookHausen will be in a tag match with Tony Neese and Mark Sterling. The fans have spoken, Tony Khan has answered. Now we wait it out for Double or Nothin’.
A lot happened this week in professional wrestling. There was a lot to cover and if I missed it and you want to talk about it, drop a comment. I didn’t forget Adam Cole and Jeff Hardy put on a great match. There were many more to look at. Hit me up on the social media, twitter: @zero2hero or IG: Rproctor23. Talk with you all next week!
Last Week in Pro Wrestling Today: RK-Bro and the Bloodline chaos, Street Prophets' smoke and HOOKHAUSEN's coming
What a wild week this was in professional wrestling! A lot of the WWE side revolved around RK-Bro and the Bloodline. I mean, rightfully so, this is one of the better storylines WWE created in sometime that did not revolve around the Universal Title. AEW put on straight fire for their shows. It was as close to all 5 star matches across the entire spectrum. Let’s start with the WWE Universe.
What a wild week this was in professional wrestling! A lot of the WWE side revolved around RK-Bro and the Bloodline. I mean, rightfully so, this is one of the better storylines WWE created in sometime that did not revolve around the Universal Title. AEW put on straight fire for their shows. It was as close to all 5 star matches across the entire spectrum. Let’s start with the WWE Universe.
It’s all about the Monday Night Rawness…
Last Monday Night started with RK-Bro wanting to finish what they started with The Usos. But, here came the Street Prophets. It was a heated promo and led to a match for the tag titles. Just look up ‘RK-Bro 4:20 says I just smoked your ass!‘ If you have never seen Montez Ford perform, you are truly missing out on the next great talent on the WWE roster. Whatever ‘it’ is, he has in by the boatload. In an extremely physical match, RK-Bro won and retained the belts. Setting up for their time on SmackDown.
Judgement Day flexed their muscles as well this past week. I am still up in the air about this faction, but I like where it is going. Giving Damian Priest the boost he needs, and putting Rhea Ripley in the spotlight as a top heel until the story with Asuka and Becky Lynch finishes up. Rhea squashed Liv Morgan, and Damian Priest put on a great match with Finn Balor until AJ Styles showed up. This appears to be the way ahead until Hell in A Cell.
Cody Rhodes just can’t shake Seth Rollins. Hell, I really don’t care those two can fight forever for all I care. It’s been awesome. There is one place place to finish this story and much like I said just a second ago, this is on a crash course for Hell in a Cell. Just look up the poster for the pay per view. It’s all Cody.
Layeth The Smacketh Down…
SmackDown was similar to Raw, revolving around the Bloodline and RK-Bro. But, the match of the night belonged to Raquel Rodriguez and Ronda Rousey. Raquel answered the open challenge put down Ronda in her need to be a fighting champion. Raquel already a giant in the female division gave the champ a run she wasn’t ready for. Ronda found a way and Raquel earned the respect of the champ. I have a feeling they aren’t done yet.
RK-Bro sent out their challenge again to the Usos, only for….Sami Zayn to answer? Yes, the ‘locker room’ leader came out to speak for the Bloodline, even though his words mean nothing to the Bloodline. This led to a match between Riddle and Zayn. Riddle and Zayn is an unlikely match to see, but it didn’t disappoint. It was different, we all like different. Riddle came out on top and the Bros, continued their call out of the Bloodline.
When it was time for the Bloodline to respond, cue the music for RK-Bro, AGAIN! All they wanted was an answer, but before Roman Reigns could let his cousins talk, Randy Orton hit Roman with praise for his nemesis John Cena. But, Riddle hit the shot heard round the world. That’s right, RIDDLE, not Randy, caught the Tribal Chief with a cheap shot. I may be looking too much into it, but is that a sign Riddle is coming for Roman after they’re done with the Usos? I can’t wait to see.
Don’t forget about AEW…
Now, the main course, AEW. Every match was a banger and if I covered all of them we would be here way too long. Dynamite started with Adam Cole and Dax of FTR. Dax is now back to back weeks putting on just quality matches. Adam Cole is already great, Dax measured up and was able to elevate himself and Cole in just a great match. That set the tone for the evening.
CM Punk was up next against John Silver. In another great match, sprinkle in Hangman Page on the commentary. Another just great match, turned to sending a message. Punk heard what Page had to say, and to prove a point, Punk finished the match with the Hangman’s finishing move the Buckshot Lariat. Once the three count was done, here comes Page to stare-down Punk. It was intense. The build in this match has been better than anticipated. This is going to end in a physical, hard fought, maybe even bloody match. Stay tuned!
Hook saved Danhausen from Tony Neese. HOOKHAUSEN is coming! That’s it. Hook has a teammate. And how it happened was great.
The Jericho Appreciation Society had it’s victory speech. Only for Jon Moxley to interrupt. He wasn’t alone. The rest of the Blackpool Combat Club was right behind him. JAS has the numbers still, but you think their is always a plan B. Danielson, Mox, Yuta, and Regal are always ready to fight. Like, that’s their whole gimmick. They’re ready, but here comes Eddie Kingston with Santana and Ortiz. Now we a fight. An all out brawl. The sports entertainers met the professional wrestlers in a fight.
Lastly, probably the best match of the week, Darby Allen and Jeff Hardy. Darby Allen met Jeff Hardy at his level and raised it up higher. We thought Jeff may be done after how his WWE run ended, but damn was I wrong. The bumps he was taking were the one’s he was taking in his peak run in WWE. Darby stole the whole night. Hitting a swan dive off the top of a 15 ft. ladder outside the ring! Just incredible spot. Just incredible.
Those were the main spots this week in professional wrestling. A lot happened this week. It was entertaining as hell. I didn’t even cover it all. Make sure to tune in Monday for Omos and Lashley in a cage. If you want to continue the conversation by all means drop a comment or hit me up on the social media. Twitter: @zero2hero and IG: Rproctor23.
Last Week in Pro Wrestling Today: Wrestlemania Backlash predictions, CM Punk's newest enemy and a Hook partnership?
It was the take home show for WWE this past week. AEW had a pretty damn good week as well. Let’s look into WWE going into Backlash.
**This was written before Sunday’s Wrestlemania Backlash**
It was the take home show for WWE this past week. AEW had a pretty damn good week as well. Let’s look into WWE going into Backlash.
Both Raw and Smackdown revolved around the storyline of RK-McBro, according to Drew McIntyre and the Bloodline. From the opening segment on Raw to the end of Smackdown, the six man tag match has been driving the headlines for the upcoming PPV. And, to be honest, including Drew McIntyre to this rivalry gives it just enough spice to make it even better. The promos were more so fighting, to include the “Acknowledge” moment on Smackdown was funny. Little promo work on the mic, lots of throwing hands and getting physical. My prediction for tonight, the Bloodline is victorious.
The next biggest storyline, has been Charlotte vs. Ronda in an ‘I quit’ match. Charlotte and Ronda had to be separated by almost every official in WWE on Friday night. Ronda came out in defense of Aliyah, and it was a great build to tonights show. Poor Drew Gulak has had to suffer at the hands of both women. They both look strong going into this match so it is anyone’s guess who has the advantage. For me, to continue the storyline, Ronda has to get her vengeance tonight. I don’t know how, but it makes me look back to how Sasha Banks beat Charlotte during their feud. It should be an entertaining one for sure.
Can’t forget AJ and Edge, now that Damian Priest has been banned from ringside. This is a show stealing type match for the evening. Edge in his new heel role has been nothing short of spectacular in driving this storyline. If you now add the likes of fellow Bullet Club member Finn Balor, AJ has to feel some kind of way with someone the likes of Balor in his corner potentially. It makes you wonder does AJ get his vengeance or does Edge continue his reign of terror over WWE and get over on the bulldog. I actually believe Edge gets the victory putting him in a position to chase a title. Can he set his eyes on Roman for this summer?
Lastly for WWE, what about Gunther (Walter)? I mean he has leaned out and looks even better on the main roster. Squashing Gulak the way he did, he has to be a player for Ricochet here soon. The Intercontinental Champ was not on television this week, but I have to believe this is the road being taken to make Gunther a serious player on the heel spectrum. He’s great, and now he’ll get to show the world as the Ring General.
And over in the AEW…
AEW was intense in Baltimore this week. Hangman Page, made it known he is not interested in being a good sport about his match with CM Punk at the end of the month. He is out to prove a point. He wanted to break CM Punk. This will be Hangman’s toughest test he’s had as champ. That’s saying a lot considering who he has defended the belt against. Can’t wait to see it at Double or Nothin’.
Wardlow was once again in a match at the wishes of MJF. He’s still under that contract and has finally reached his breaking point. With the introduction of Morrissey from Impact Wrestling (Big Cass for those unfamiliar with who he is) Wardlow was in a fight. Big men, throwing haymakers again. But, probably the most athletic move of the night came from Wardlow with the moonsault on Morrissey. Setting up a power bomb for the win. MJF is willing to take on Wardlow to free him from his contract, but in typical MJF fashion the contract signing will have stipulations, which will be revealed next week. Think along the lines of the Trials of Jericho. I can see it going much like that story did.
Not going to lie, I am on board with a Danhausen and Hook team up. Hook the silent assassin seems to want no part of Danhausen, but that won’t stop him from trying. Nese challenged Danhausen and Danhausen reached out to Hook for support. He made a huge mistake in putting his hands on Hook though. Hook shoved him to the ground and Danhausen gave him a gift. In confusion, Hook took it, then threw it on the ground Lonely Island style. But the deafening chants of HookHausen can’t be ignored by the silent assassin, can they?
Predictions for Wrestlemania Backlash:
Charlotte vs. Ronda “I Quit” match: Winner: Ronda Rousey
Cody Rhodes vs. Seth Rollins: Winner: Cody Rhodes
AJ Styles vs. Edge: Winner: Edge
Happy Corbin vs. Madcap Moss: Winner: Madcap Moss
Bobby Lashley vs. Omos: Winner: Omos
The Bloodline vs RK-Bro/Drew McIntyre: Winner: The Bloodline
There were quite a few side stories going into this week, but I wanted to focus on the main stories going into tonight’s Wrestlemania Backlash. The Theory/Ali story will pick up steam going forward, but we have to wait and see. They need to start getting ready for Money In the Bank and this seems to be a good segway to the game changing event. AEW had a few moments we need to see develop especially with the Jericho Appreciation Society and Eddie Kingston. If you want to continue the conversation by all means leave a comment or hit me up on the social media. Twitter: @Zero2Hero or IG: Rproctor23. Talk with you all next week!
This Past Week in Pro Wrestling: Hook and Danhausen tensions, Asuka's wild return and insane matches
So last week in professional wrestling was solid for WWE, but AWESOME for AEW. I enjoy both promotions as I believe they are the tops of the business. Just sometimes, one has a better week than the other. This week the nod for excitement and entertainment went the direction of AEW. Let’s talk about WWE first.
So last week in professional wrestling was solid for WWE, but AWESOME for AEW. I enjoy both promotions as I believe they are the tops of the business. Just sometimes, one has a better week than the other. This week the nod for excitement and entertainment went the direction of AEW. Let’s talk about WWE first.
It’s all RAW dog, craziness
RAW led off with the celebration of probably one of the most iconic wrestlers of all time. Riddle led the the celebration of the Viper Randy Orton. It was great to see everyone there just showing support to the Viper. Randy gave a huge thank you to the fans and those around the ring. Riddle had one last surprise. Cue up the American Nightmare Cody Rhodes, and the reunion of Legacy. It was a great moment. And then it happened. Seth ‘Freakin’ Rollins jumps in starting the snowball effect, for things to get out of hand. It was pretty much an Attitude era type spot.
Seth Rollins called out Cody. Kevin Owens showed up and continued to call Ezekiel a liar that he is really Elias (which is still funny IMO) and then the Usos showed up. It just kept piling on. This led to an 8 man tag match to end the show.
Before we get there we have to talk about THE RETURN OF ASUKA!!! That’s right, she’s BACK!. She’s got her sights on the Man Becky Lynch who is just trying to get out of her current funk after the loss at Mania to Bianca Belair. Becky was lost and didn’t know what to say or do but knew she had to get back in the title picture. She has to overcome the Empress of Tomorrow first. Asuka’s return is big news for the division. There’s another challenger for the title, and now we wait to see if we get a Belair/Asuka feud. I can’t wait!
Speaking of returns, what about the return of Ali? He recently asked for his release and had not been on television for some time now. He returns to confront Theory on MizTV and put his name at the top of the list for the United States Championship. Ali and Miz had a hard promo segment, which resulted in a match between Ali/Miz. He defeated Miz in a really good match, hopefully putting him in position to take on Theory here soon.
Back to the 8 man tag match. This was an awesome main event. Everyone took advantage of their spots, and killed it. Randy Orton hit some killer RKO’s and eventually got the pin over the Usos. Setting up the contract signing on Smackdown.
Time to Layeth the Smacketh Down
Drew beat down Sami Zayn in a steel cage to open up Smackdown. This wouldn’t be the last time we see Drew on Friday. The contract signing went about as we could expect. The promos cut deep. They were some fighting words leading to a, shocker, a fight. But, plot twist, the Tribal Chief Roman Reigns shows up because he clearly is pissed the Usos haven’t yet taken care of RK-Bro. Roman starts beating down Riddle, only for……Drew McIntyre to show up. Yes, Drew McIntyre. Not Shinsuke who we thought was up next, it’s Drew. He laid down the challenge without having to say a word, just throwing haymakers. Let’s see how this develops.
The Ronda Rousey/Charlotte Flair feud heated up as their ‘I quit’ challenge ended up in Drew Gulak getting beat up yet again. Still funny, but not really enough to push the story for these two along. It all comes to fruition next week at Backlash.
AEW madness
AEW killed in this past week. They started with something fans have never seen before, Dax and Cash of FTR going at each other in the Owen Hart memorial tournament. If you’re into professional wrestling, and not all the glitz and glamour around it, this match was amazing. The most technical showcase of wrestling I think I have seen since i watched their mentor Bret Hart. They were awesome. Dax came out on top but it was phenomenal.
After the match was over, it became official. AEW Double or Nothin’ main event, for the AEW World Championship, Hangman Adam Page/CM Punk. It’s a done deal. This inspired Punk to cut a promo hyping the match, and I may not be his biggest fan, but I know it’s going to be awesome. He always finds a way to deliver in these moments.
Wardlow had another heavy hitting match with Lance Archer. MJF with his stranglehold contactually over Wardlow has been some of the best storytelling in the business. Best thing about it, there is no title involved. It’s just a really good way to tell the story. Wardlow was victorious only for MJF to bring in an unknown, who is really big, really strong, ‘and you can’t teach that.’ Any WWE fan can tell you who that is referring to, but I won’t spoil it for you if you don’t know. It may be the break he was looking for to get back in the business at the big level.
Lastly, what about Danhausen and Hook? It looked like Hook was about to just destroy Danhausen only for Tony Neese to get involved. Hook and Danhausen seemed to work together to dispose of the interruption. Is this the start of a new tag team? I don’t know, but I tell you want, the AEW fans in attendance were all about it. It’s up to you now Tony Khan. Is this the new Rock n’ Sock?
Quite a bit happened this week in professional wrestling. If I didn’t cover something you wanted to talk about like Sammy losing his TNT title to Jay Lethal, or Bianca Belair and Sonya Deville, continue the conversation in the comments section. Or also hit me up on social media, Twitter: @Zero2Hero or IG: Rproctor23. Talk with you next week ATC fam!
Last Week in Pro Wrestling: AEW and WWE are building more momentum
ATC family Pro wrestling is just getting better and better. You would think the momentum would slow a bit this far out after the prime shows hit. No way. AEW and WWE are building more momentum getting ready for the summer. Let’s start it out with what happened this past week in the WWE.
ATC family Pro wrestling is just getting better and better. You would think the momentum would slow a bit this far out after the prime shows hit. No way. AEW and WWE are building more momentum getting ready for the summer. Let’s start it out with what happened this past week in the WWE.
Monday Night Raw craziness…
Monday Night Raw came swinging with the Visionary Seth Rollins calling out The American Nightmare Cody Rhodes. We know they will being squaring off at PPV’s Backlash, but Seth wants to make Cody’s life hell up to that point. Constantly reminding Cody he had an advantage of being the boss’s mystery opponent, Rollins wanted to flip the script and give Cody the same treatment. In the main event Cody squared up with Seth’s best ‘friend’ KEVIN OWENS! This match in itself is prime booking for a prime pay per view. It was a great match until Seth crossed the line and called KO a fat a$$. I think that’s where he draws the line. There and lying that Ezekiel is not Elias (which is a funny storyline).
RK-Bro and the Usos are all set up for Backlash to unify the tag titles. But, Riddle has had the pleasure this past week of facing both the Usos in one on one competition, AND WINNING! Those outcomes aren’t sitting well with the Tribal Chief as you saw during Smackdown. Riddle has been able to steal victories in creative fashion with his BRO, Randy Orton. This story has been building in such a way, I honestly don’t have a prediction for who wins those unifying belts. Both teams have such momentum it is a tough decision to dethrone one of them. Time will tell. Then mix in the Street Prophets, you have an ELITE set of tag teams in the title mix.
In a surprise, Theory, as he wants to be called now, defeated Finn Balor to claim the United States Championship. I mean, let’s see what he does with it as he has the backing of Vince McMahon, but yeah, as a wrestling fan, seemed a little weird to do this on a random Monday show.
This Edge/AJ Styles run is still going. Sprinkle in Damian Priest and his Undertaker type character, we will see what they got. AJ needs someone to help him with this run, as Edge has a strong player in Priest. This story has to lead to a stipulation match in the end. Like another cinematic match, or something along those lines.
Layeth The Smacketh Down…
Smackdown gave us the contract signing for Charlotte/Ronda and their ‘I Quit’ Match. Poor Drew Gulak just can’t catch a break. (Pun intended) He just keeps getting beat up.
We have new challengers for the Women’s tag team titles. Sasha/Naomi will be taking on Shayna Bazler/Nattie. This will actually serve as a good test to validate the champs. I love Sasha and Naomi as a team. Them together elevates those titles to must see television! Much like what we have seen in AEW this last week.
All types of AEW wildness went down…
AEW came in smoking with Dustin Rhodes and CM Punk. Punk won in a hard fought, technical, physical match. He has shown he still has it during this run, and he brings it out of his opponents too. Dustin Rhodes is clearly on his last few matches, this was one he’s wanted forever. He got all of it, and then some. As Punk was exiting the ring, Hangman Page made sure he showed CM Punk he has heard him talking about his title. Hangman is gearing up for some SERIOUS “Cowboy Sh*t'!”
Tony Khan is a HUGE wrestling fan. Like, insanely huge fan. He built AEW as a fan wanting to see the best in the world in go against each other. So much so, he has decided to go through the “Forbidden Door.” A joint pay per view event with New Japan Professional Wrestling. This is a groundbreaking idea. Things like this do not normally happen in the wrestling business. In typical showman fashion, Adam Cole (BAYBAY!) made the announcement. This is a big moment for wrestling fans. Can you imagine the card they’ll line up for that?! Wild.
Lastly, I mean, come on. If you don’t know about Hook, what are you doing as a wrestling fan? Taz’s son is on a f’n tear! Hook is on his way to being the guy for AEW. This has caught the attention of Danhausen who has been trying to ‘curse’ Hook, but to no avail. I mean, yes, it’s silly. It’s comedy. But, damn if it is not fun to see. Hook just ignoring him to the point Danhausen makes the mistake in challenging him? This is just good storytelling right now between those two. And I will be tuned in when they square off.
That’s all for this one. Wrestling is becoming cool again. So much happened this week. If you want to continue the conversation by all means leave a comment. Hit me up on the social media, Twitter: @Zero2Hero or IG: Rproctor23. Can’t wait to see what happens this week.
This Week In Pro Wrestling: The Miz and Cody Rhodes clash, predicting Roman Reigns' future and AEW's fire streak
Now that we are passed the Wrestlemania season completely, stories are starting to spice up for WWE as well as AEW. It was another great week in professional wrestling. Backlash is the next event WWE is building towards, and AEW just finished their Battle of the Belts II, which we will cover later.
Now that we are passed the Wrestlemania season completely, stories are starting to spice up for WWE as well as AEW. It was another great week in professional wrestling. Backlash is the next event WWE is building towards, and AEW just finished their Battle of the Belts II, which we will cover later.
What a week it was for the WWE. Cody Rhodes came in guns blazing going toe to toe on the mic with The Miz. Miz is one of the best superstars in the world on the mic and Cody did miss a step. They got raw and personal on Miz TV setting up a great match later on the show. Cody got the W, but afterwards Cody had to deal with the Visionary Seth Rollins. Seth was still cleared frustrated after his loss at Mania, he wants to run it back with better preparation this time around. It was set right there, Cody vs. Seth at Backlash. Can’t wait!
Bianca Belair still high off her victory over The Man Becky Lynch, has run through the Raw women’s division to get her title. After making light work of Queen Zelina (she needs a push here in the near future, she’s awesome!) Sonya Deville made it known of an open challenge contract she had Belair sign. Being the showman villain she is, Sonya built up Belair’s next challenger only to attack her from behind. Sonya Deville staked her place at the front of the line. After all the hell she put Naomi through, Bianca Belair better be ready to be challenged in a different way that doesn’t require all her physical strength.
The best storyline going on right now for WWE for this guy is The Bloodline against RK-Bro. Now I love the Street Prophets as much as the next person, and their time will come to hold those belts again, but right now, the story is The Usos/RK-Bro. They dropped some serious heat in their promos on both Raw and Smackdown. The matches to go along with the story to get to this point were even better. If I am hopeful, this will lead to a Roman Reigns/Randy Orton match for his unified title.
I am not forgetting about Shinsuke. He will do awesome in his program with Roman, but I don’t believe for it to be a believable story that Shinsuke can take the belt off him. Randy Orton makes a believable story, as he is big enough to take that title off Roman in a big PPV match, if it happens. This is all wishful thinking of course, but it would make for an awesome build up to either Money in the Bank or even Summerslam.
Lastly for WWE, Charlotte and Ronda has turned into an ‘I quit’ match at Backlash. Ronda was not in attendance this week, but Charlotte has carried this story from the get go, so I believe she will do the same going forward. Will Charlotte tap out again as she has done before at the hands of Sasha? I wonder where they go here. Is it time for Charlotte to drop the title? We’ll have to wait and see.
Man, I am really enjoying my time watching AEW over these last few weeks. The BlackPool Combat Club is starting to build steam as they just bring a new style of wrestling to this business. What better people to do it, than Jon Moxley, Bryan Danielson, and William Regal. You can add Wheeler Yuta to the mix as it seems they’re trying to set him up for a big push soon. They took down The Gunn Family who hasn’t lost a trios match since they joined AEW.
I LOVE THE JERICHO APPRECIATION SOCIETY! They are the heel faction AEW needs to get under the professional wrestling fans nerves. They’re sports entertainers. If you want to piss off a wrestling fan, say sports entertainer. To counter that, bring out a group of professional wrestlers, Eddie Kingston, Santana and Ortiz. It’s going to be violent. It’s going to be fire promos. It’s going to be a great story until they settle this in an all out brawl.
MJF and Wardlow. I mean, that’s just great. The ultimate, pompous villain against the big, strong hero who is in debt to the villain. When will Wardlow get his chance at MJF? I can see this going to a match between the two and MJF wins he keeps control over Wardlow or Wardlow wins he gets out of his contract he signed. This is a long game story and I love the angle they’re going. But, I like MJF as a villain. He’s the best in the world as a heel. We shouldn’t cheer for the heel, I get it Bully Ray, but when someone is so good at that character, it’s hard to root against him.
I will keep this part short. Hook is coming to Dynamite. That’s it. Hook is coming. Tune in.
Lastly for this week, Adam Cole BABAY and Hangman Adam Page tore the damn house down on Rampage. Tables, chairs, barb wire, more chairs. It was great. Although I think Cole should have taken the belt, seeing Hangman was dictating the whole match, he is deserving the spot. CM Punk is waiting in the shadows. His time is coming faster than I thought. He’s putting on bangers, especially after his match with Penta, and Dustin Rhodes this coming week. He has to issue his challenge this week right? It is a great time to be a wrestling fan.
That’s all this week everyone. I know I wasn’t able to cover everything, to include Sammy regaining his TNT title. I miss Miro. Or the Limitless Keith Lee getting pinned by Ricky Starks. Hell even Riddle/Jimmy was an amazing match. If you want to continue the conversation, by all means drop a comment or hit me up via the social media. Twitter: @zero2hero or IG: Rproctor23. Talk with everyone next time!
This Week In Pro Wrestling: All hail Roman Reigns, Eddie Kingston's mighty return and Kevin Owens' double take
What a great week in professional wrestling! Wrestlemania was a great weekend. I was in attendance for last Saturday night, it was amazing! There was a lot which happened over the last week, but with all that happened this week was a great building block to whatever comes next.
What a great week in professional wrestling! Wrestlemania was a great weekend. I was in attendance for last Saturday night, it was amazing! There was a lot which happened over the last week, but with all that happened this week was a great building block to whatever comes next.
AEW had a great week as well, but before we get there, let’s get into WWE.
It’s all about RAW, dog
Cody Rhodes made his ‘shocking’ return to WWE at Mania as Seth Rollins mystery opponent. After his opening promo which was phenomenal, we have an idea of what is in store for Cody. He’s already my choice for Money In the Bank winner. But, that’s two months away. Right now, Cody gets his welcome back tour underway with Miz this coming Monday. Miz needs to keep an eye on his back though, I can’t imagine Logan Paul will forget what happened at the end of their tag match with the Mysterios.
The other side of this is, where does this leave Seth Rollins? That’s back to back Mania’s he has taken an L. He’s too damn good to not be involved in a major storyline. Where does he go from here? Time will tell. I hope Seth isn’t out of the title picture too long.
Did you all see Ezekiel? ‘Younger’ brother of Elias. Kevin Owens had just finished his segment and then here he comes. Zeke made his presence known with a pretty damn funny spot with KO. What a way to introduce yourself after Owens took on one of the greats in Stone Cold. Ezekiel seems like something that can be pretty hilarious if we play the entertainment card.
Dolph Ziggler was out representing NXT in a title defense against Bron Brekker. This match was pretty good as we saw at Stand and Deliver, DZ was able to retain, only to lose a hard fought match with Brekker in the rubber match. Brekker is going to be a top tier talent one day, he is where he needs to be right now in representing the NXT brand. Can’t wait to see what is in store next for him.
Time to layeth the SmackDown!
Smackdown was fun as well. We got to see the introduction of Gunther (Walter) for the first time on the main roster. He was introduced in a squash match, but there has to be big things in store for him. One of, if not the top talents in NXT and NXT UK, is finally going to showcase his talents on Fox.
In one of the more under appreciated stories, Happy Corbin and Mad Cat Moss had a breakup. Mad Cat coming off his Andre The Giant Battle Royal victory has been on a bit of a hot streak, but Happy lost to Drew McIntyre at Mania halting all his momentum to the top. Happy blamed Moss and Moss was having none of that noise. Mad Cat showed he wants all the smoke. He is primed to take on Happy at some point in the near future, but how will Mad Cat do on his own without the leadership of Happy Corbin?
Roman Reigns. Head of the Table. Tribal Chief. Now, you can call him Undisputed Heavyweight Champion of WWE. He took down the Beast on Mania Sunday. He’s conquered EVERYONE! The Bloodline is primed to take all the gold from everyone who stands in the way. Roman needs something else. Total domination, ordering the Usos to challenge RK-Bro to unify their belts. All the gold for the Bloodline. Here comes Shinsuke Nakamura. I’ll tell you this, while he may not beat the Tribal Chief, I have been waiting for this for a while. Shinsuke will give Roman another unique challenge. The King of Strong Style is not to be taken lightly in this role against Roman. I can’t wait to see this program develop.
AEW had a helluva week as well. Opening up on Dynamite Adam Cole earned a hard fought one against Christian Cage. At the end Cole immediately challenged the Hangman. To which the Hangman wanted to do some ‘cowboy sh*t!’ Next week, Texas Death Match. Cole vs. Page for the AEW championship. Adam Page has had one of the better runs as champion in AEW, I expect it to end in a glorious fashion this coming week. The build for a Adam Cole and CM Punk match would be INSANE!
Speaking of insane, did you see the return of Eddie Kingston?! I mean they beat the hell out of the Jericho Appreciation Society. It was an a$$whooping. This has to end in some sort of brawl street fight type match. No way this stays in a regular match. It would not do the story any justice. Give us something INSANE Mr. Khan!
Samoa Joe is All Elite. That’s the sentence. Joe being in the ring is just right. Sucks he didn’t get healthy enough for WWE to clear him but, he’s where he belongs - in the ring. Love to see it.
Aside from Becky Lynch/Bianca Belair, the best match of the last month was a tag match on Dynamite with FTR and the Young Bucks. These two teams gave all they had and more, and then some more. Just a flat out awesome match. It had everything. I turned off the tv feeling like I had just been through a match. It was that good. FTR managed to retain their titles, but damn did they earn it with the Young Bucks. They may be the two best teams in the world. One of them deserves a shot at Jungle Boy/Luchasaurus. Who is completely up to Mr. Khan. Now we wait.
Yes, I know I didn’t cover everything that happened over Wrestlemania week, but I legit could write a book on all that happened. What did you think of this week? What do you think is going to happen next for WWE or AEW? Continue the conversation in the comments, or hit me up via social media. Find me on twitter: @zero2hero or IG: Rproctor23. See you all next week!
This Week In Pro Wrestling: Long Live Scott Hall, Seth Rollins fights his bestie, Keith Lee's big moment
Hey yo! This was another dope past week in WWE and AEW. Even with the madness that is the NCAA basketball tournament, professional wrestling had some of their best work yet this week. Let’s start with WWE.
Hey yo! This was another dope past week in WWE and AEW. Even with the madness that is the NCAA basketball tournament, professional wrestling had some of their best work yet this week. Let’s start with WWE.
A Raw night to remember….
Last Monday Night Raw started the night right. Paying tribute to the ‘Bad Guy’ Razor Ramon, Scott Hall. One of the greatest characters ever created. ‘Bad times don’t last, but Bad Guys do!’
Kevin Owens opened the show still antagonizing the Texas Rattlesnake Stone Cold Steve Austin. KO found his way to Mania, but in doing so, he left his best friend Seth ‘Freakin’ Rollins scrambling to figure out how he was going to end up in the show of shows. Then hit the cameraman with a Stunner. Message sent, now we wait to see how Stone Cold will respond.
There is also another story developing I haven’t given the proper respect to. Damian Priest and Finn Balor has turned out to be pretty good. Damian Priest has tapped into his inner heel as he keeps pursuing Balor to get his United States Championship back. They collided again on Monday. To add some fuel to the fire, Austin Theory even poked his head in. Just his presence alone was enough to distract Balor giving Priest the opening to pin the US Champ and essentially put him as the number 1 contender. I wonder how this develops and if we have the Damian side of Priest, do we get the Demon King to respond?
Becky Lynch sent a message to her challenger Bianca Belair. Bianca had an amazing match with Dudrop and hit her with the K.O.D. The Raw Women’s Champ struck. Cobra Kai style, Becky struck HARD! So much so, she may have just jeopardized Bianca’s opportunity at Mania due to injury in her throat.
RK-Bro may have found their opponents for Mania, because the Street Profits are UP! AND THEY WANT THE SMOKE! Riddle had a match with Montez Ford and it was savagely interrupted by the Alpha Academy. They left both tag teams beaten and broken. This may be the way ahead for the Raw Tag Champs. Let’s see how this develops. Randy Orton won’t take this lightly as the Viper is always ready to strike with or without warning.
Seth Rollins, still in his funk had an idea. He wanted to use KO’s idea and spin it in his favor. Sonya Deville thought it was a great idea as well. KO and Seth squared off in the main event with the winner hosting their show at Mania. What a match it was. They tore it down. We as fans got the best from Seth and KO, with KO getting the victory. Leaving Seth to wonder how he will have something to do in Dallas. I mean, is Cody Rhodes an option? Or could we see a former Shield member return? Makes you wonder.
Time to layeth The Smackdown….
Raw was good, but everything WWE related revolves around Smackdown. Roman Reigns opened the show, and the drip was FIRE. Operating on G.O.D Mode, Roman gave his promo and then it happened. Special Counsel Paul Heyman informed Roman, Brock Lesnar was on his way only to see Brock driving a forklift into his truck. A super dope stunt! After destroying the Tribal Chief’s truck, the Bloodline found another way out in another truck only for Brock to tear the door off as they sped away.
Update on Big E. He’s walking around apparently just being bored according to his social media feeds. Just waiting for the rehab work to start so we can see our guy back in the ring soon.
It’s all about All Elite Wrestling, too…
AEW came in HOT on Wednesday night. One of their best shows this year. Adam Cole and reDRagon took on Hangman Page and the AEW Tag Champs Luchasaurus and Jungle Boy. Adam Cole picked up the pin on Jungle Boy after a ridiculously hard fought match. This match just pushed along the storyline between Hangman and Cole. These two are far from done.
The Jericho Appreciation Society. That is all really need be said about this segment from the GOAT. He is not a professional wrestler. He and his stable are sports entertainers. Trigger those marks Jericho. Such a great segment. They are making their mark going after Eddie Kingston and Ortiz/Santana. Can’t wait to see the response.
AND NEWWWWW!!!! Thunder Rosa took down Brit Baker, D.M.D in a match of the year candidate. It was hard hitting, bloody, violent, and AWESOME! These two women have been on this course for almost a year, and this was the only way to end their story. Locked in a cage, 1v1. Thunder Rosa won clean. Now what is next for Brit Baker? This isn’t the end, but she’s got a journey ahead of her.
Who could forget Wardlow/MJF? MJF didn’t forget how Wardlow contributed to his loss to CM Punk. MJF and the Chairman Shawn Spears cost the Face of the Revolution his opportunity to collect his first title in AEW. This won’t go unpunished by the man who has the Power bomb Symphony. The big man has got to be seeing red. How does he get back at the man who had him under contract as support?
Unleash the Rampage…
Keith Lee had a big moment on Rampage. His build is coming along great as he and the Max Caster crushed had a great match, only for Lee to pick up the victory. Ricky Starks and Powerhouse Hobbs stuck their noses in to jump the Limitless one. Here’s where things got interesting. Swerve showed up to help Keith Lee. They shook hands. This could mean Lee has back up with it comes to Taz’s crew. Where we go from here could be something special. Let the excitement begin.
What a great week for pro wrestling. We are in the thick of everything, from the Road to Wrestlemania, and mix in the excitement of March Madness. If I missed anything drop it in the comments and we can definitely talk more about this week. Or feel free to hit me up on social media: Twitter: @zero2hero or IG: Rproctor23. See you all next time!
This Week In Pro Wrestling: Stone Cold's back-back, MJF/CM Punk aftermath, RK-Bro's far from over
Injuries just keep happening lately. No one is more beloved than Big E. He took a bad bump this past week and ended up with a broken neck. He’s kept his fans in the loop, doesn’t require surgery, but still going to be sidelined for a while. He will be missed during that time. Prayers up to the one and only Big E.
Injuries just keep happening lately. No one is more beloved than Big E. He took a bad bump this past week and ended up with a broken neck. He’s kept his fans in the loop, doesn’t require surgery, but still going to be sidelined for a while. He will be missed during that time. Prayers up to the one and only Big E.
This week in Professional wrestling built upon the madness of last week. Let’s start with AEW first as we got the results of a wild Revolution pay per view.
The PPV was loaded with bangers. From the opening match of Jericho/Kingston, to the main event of the battle of the Adam’s. Jericho v. Kingston was a good as advertised. Kingston got the W tapping out Jericho, and finally proving he “could win the big one.” Jericho didn’t hold up his end of the bargain though in shaking his hand. But, on Rampage, not only did Jericho shake his hand, him and Jake Hager beat the living hell out of Kingston to send a bigger message. Heel Jericho > Face Jericho.
MJF and CM Punk put on one of the most physical matches I have ever seen in professional wrestling. The dog collar match got violent, explicit, and bloody. It was amazing storytelling from those two and they deserve to be recognized for such an amazing match which seemed to wrap up the story between the two best in the world as they would have you say. Wardlow was the one who tipped the scale in favor of Punk. Wardlow breached his contract with MJF, so what does that mean for him as he goes into his match this week against the new TNT champ in San Antonio. (Can’t wait to see it!)
The story of the night to go along with the AEW title match, the arrival of William Regal during the Jon Moxley and Bryan Danielson match. Another match which was amazing in every aspect. They beat the hell out of each other. With Mox picking up the W, and now having the manager in Regal. We are looking at one helluva a stable going forward. Two alpha dogs in AEW get the opportunity to leave a huge mark on the company. I can’t wait to see where this goes and who decides to go after them first.
Lastly, Adam Page was able to retain against Adam Cole. Was definitely surprised at the outcome because Adam Cole has been on such a tear lately, I definitely saw this match going the other way. But, that’s the art of AEW. Cole is a superstar the caliber of Shawn Michaels. His time is coming, but will it be at the expense of Adam Page? We will have to see as they are going to run it back this week in a six man tag match this week on Rampage. Adam Cole is clearly not ready to move on from the AEW title picture, Page seems willing to keep going as long as he keeps giving Cole the attention he desires. Seems like we are in for the long haul with these two. If you enjoy pro wrestling, you are as excited as I am for this to continue.
It was insanity for the WWE, too…
Yes, a lot happened in AEW. I couldn’t get it all. But, we can’t ignore WWE and what they did this week. The triple threat tag match for the Raw tag team titles. Randy Orton hit one of his best RKO’s EVER on Chad Gable. I mean, if you haven’t seen it, HOLY SH*T it was awesome. With that, the match was up for grabs and it appeared KO/Seth were on their way to capturing those titles, until Riddle stole it right from under them. Sending both KO/Seth into madness. So much so, Kevin Owens wants a Wrestlemania moment so desperately, he wants the legend ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin to show up in Dallas for the KO show. To which ‘Stone Cold’ responded, he’s got one more can of whoop a$$ to hand out.
Smackdown focused on the Roman attack on Brock at Madison Square Garden. The Bloodline drew blood on the Beast and he wants his vengeance. He is going for blood now until they meet at Wrestlemania. Roman wasn’t in the building, but he will be this coming week. What does Brock have in store for the Bloodline? Brock is in the mindset of destroying them, and to get to Roman, The Usos may be in trouble.
Continuing with the Usos, they now have an opponent for Wrestlemania, Shinsuke and his name is RICK! BOOGS! While not much time to build a great story, the match on paper is one capable of stealing the show on Saturday night. Can’t wait to see it develop.
Ricochet defended his title against Sami Zayn. The funny story behind this is, Johnny Knoxville had a flyover of Hollywood broadcasting Zayn’s phone number to the world. It was hilarious. Zayn is selling this match brilliantly because many purists are against it, but come on, it’s entertainment. Let’s be entertained for a bit. This was clearly heavy on Zayn’s head as Ricochet put in work and retained his belt. Ricochet is realizing his potential and doing things we knew he was capable of. He’s an amazing performer and it should make everyone happy he is getting his chance with an upper level title.
Ronda and Charlotte had another standoff. Charlotte staked her claim as the top dog in the Smackdown women’s division. They had a really good promo battle which, I believe Charlotte is the best in the business along with Sasha Banks. The show ended with Charlotte flexing her muscle on Ronda on a car with a unique submission move which left Ronda laid out. How will Ronda respond this week?
A lot happened this week in wrestling. Jeff Hardy was a big piece I didn’t cover. If you want to continue the discussion hit me up on the social media, Twitter: @Zero2Hero or IG: Rproctor23.
This Week In Pro Wrestling: Edge loses his mind on AJ Styles, RK-Bro's run might be done, AEW doesn't disappoint
What an INSANE week of professional wrestling! I mean, for real SO much happened it was tough to pick out what stood out the most. From Raw to Rampage, there was a lot process. I mean, come on, Tony Khan bought up Ring of Honor. This is HUGE business. Which puts Cody Rhodes to WWE in jeopardy. Let’s dive into it with what is happening in WWE first.
What an INSANE week of professional wrestling! I mean, for real SO much happened it was tough to pick out what stood out the most. From Raw to Rampage, there was a lot process. I mean, come on, Tony Khan bought up Ring of Honor. This is HUGE business. Which puts Cody Rhodes to WWE in jeopardy. Let’s dive into it with what is happening in WWE first.
(Disclaimer, I wrote this before the Revolution PPV Sunday night. Will cover those results next time.)
It was some serious Raw dog moments, y’all…
Monday night was one of the better nights in a while for WWE. Raw is clearly the ‘secondary’ show. Sorry folks but it is a fact. Is there a legit chance the Kevin Owens and his best friend Seth ‘Freakin’ Rollins end up as Raw tag champs? They have beat both teams going into the triple threat Monday night. KO even called his shot after tomorrow they want their own title v. title match at Mania with the Usos. This is something that needs to happen. That would be a match that could steal the show if given the opportunity in Dallas.
This brings me to, what is wrong with RK-Bro? They lost to the Street Profits. Story-wise to me, where are they going with this? Is this the beginning of the end for the odd couple? We know it’s going to happen, but is it now? Randy can’t be happy right now with the last two outings going into tonight.
Staying on the tag team division, we got a small sample of Becky/Bianca. Bianca definitely left her mark on Becky, literally and figuratively. She made sure to post it on IG how Bianca can utilize her hair. Sheesh, the welts looked tough.
In the surprise of the night, Finn Balor was able to defeat Damian Priest to become United States champion. In what appeared to be a heel turn for Priest, he destroyed Balor afterwards. Finn won the match, but you know this isn’t over. How does Finn respond? While Damian Priest has an alter ego, let’s not forget so does Finn. We haven’t heard from the Demon since he faced off against Roman Reigns not too long ago.
Raw ended in a bizarre fashion as well. Edge has his opponent for Wrestlemania in the Phenomenal One, AJ Styles. But, what we didn’t expect was Edge to straight up crush AJ with a concerto to end the night. Edge lost his mind quick. AJ has to respond in some way this week. And we know he won’t let that go unanswered.
Smackdown had some major moments, too…
And, that was just on Raw! Told you it was an insane week! Smackdown didn’t disappoint either. We have a NEW Intercontinental Champion in one of the people’s favorites Ricochet! With a little distraction from Johnny Knoxville, Ricochet was able to capitalize and put down the Master Strategist Sami Zayn. I jumped off my couch in excitement because even though we love Ricochet, I don’t think anyone was expecting him to win.
The Bloodline decided to flex their muscle on Shinsuke/Rick Boogs as they interrupted them to remind everyone that Wrestlemania season belongs to the Tribal Chief. For me, after that promo, Roman is on a new plain of superstar for WWE. This is potential realized with how they have put together Roman. The Usos then went on to defeat the Viking Raiders in a match for the Smackdown tag titles. So, if Seth/KO win, will The Usos accept the challenge?
AEW’s momentum isn’t slowing down anytime soon…
Sheesh, that was a lot. AEW was no different. Tony Khan opened the show with his ROH announcement, then we got a Bryan Danielson match with a Mox/Bryan promo battle. It’s going to get violent tonight with those two, so be ready. The build to this match has been great. An out of character experience for Danielson.
Jericho and the Inner Circle seemed to have made their peace with each other, but that does not mean he has forgot about Eddie Kingston. Jericho cut another GOAT type promo to get ready for the match tonight. I think this is the perfect time to put a guy like Kingston over if AEW is serious about pushing him, or even setting him up for a ROH run.
Lastly, with all that has happened in WWE/AEW, no story matters more than MJF and CM Punk. You want something that looks deeper than wrestling and is a psychological and goes into dark territory, watch how this story has developed. It all led up to MJF dismantling CM Punk. Leaving Punk in a pool of his blood and then leaving a lasting message, “I am the devil himself!” I can’t tell you who will win this one, but after that showing, I really don’t care. MJF has put himself as a top heel in the world, and Punk the anti-hero because we all remember he left us high and dry for seven years. I hope Punk gets the W, but deep down, I think I am in MJF’s corner.
Like I said in the beginning, a lot happened this week. After the Revolution results, we can analyze it a little bit more. But, ATC family, until next time. If I missed anything or you want to keep the conversation going, you know where to find me on the social media. Twitter: @Zero2Hero and IG: Rproctor23