Saturday, January 11, 2025

AEW Collision 1-11-25 - Mystery Vortex!

 


Okay, so it's not exactly a mystery vortex show - but travel has made the card shuffle and we don't have much beforehand. We get a fun Harley guitar promo before Mariah promises HOT GIRL GRAPS, "Cope, your shortened your name and I'M GONNA SHORTEN YOUR CAREER!" Cope says he's gonna chop a redwood down NOW! Cope's entrance in this tiny building looks odd. 
 




Cope is a great babyface in peril and Big Bill does an Eddie shimmy hilariously. Cope hits a kneeling basement rabbit lariat for 2. Jericho gets the ref so Bill takes the pad off and Jericho blames the camera man! Bill eats the buckle and a corner running powerbomb hits for 2.9! Cope eats the buckle and a TEST-STYLE BIG BOOT FOR 2.9! Chokeslam countered into an impaler! SPEAR HITS AND GETS 2.9! 




Jericho is so proud of Bill! COME ON, BILL! Cope with a ballshot and the BCC elbows and RNC end it! FTR saves Cope from an attack to set up Jericho vs. Dax in the main event. KENNY OMEGA IS THE GREATEST WRESTLER EVER montage! Omega vs. Cage hype vid. A Hangman video right out of Mid-South airs hyping up his issues with Christopher Daniels. 




That was a perfect promo and he'll probably finish off Daniels' TV career in the Texas Death Match at Collision Maximum Carnage. Komander vs. Pac is up and even with the ROH TV belt and some nicer gear...Komander is still just a TV job guy. PAC working a luchador basically gives us Dragon Gate PAC on TV! Pac bullies a camera guy and eats an Asai moonsault. Code Red into a cutter by Komander! Brutalizer ends it. 



CLAUDIO IS HERE BECAUSE HE WANTS REVENGE ON KOMANDER! YUTES and Pac hold Komander up for Claudio before the Outrunners save! It's time for Yutes and Claudio vs. The Outrunners with no entrance for the latter. Okay that's a bad idea live. I love Claudio hearing their music and just not giving a fuck and continuing the beatdown. TRUTH N TURBO ELBOW AND THE GIANT SWING DROPKICK GETS 2! Floyd hits a bolo punch right out of Da Crusha's arsenal before a Death Riders rocket launcher ends it. 



Hobbs cuts a promo saying he took the initiative to win the gauntlet and he bowed away from him on Dynamite and he isn't any kind of world champion to do that! "I'VE BEEN SHOT, STABBED, HOMELESS AND LEFT FOR DEAD - THERE'S NOTHING YOU CAN DO TO ME SO THIS WEDNESDAY, I'M GONNA MAKE YOU MY BITCH!" FEEL THE WRATH OF HARLEY VS. Mariah May! Good lord this match is pure aura!




Harley gets a few cradles for 2 before a headbutt hits from Mariah! Straightjacket choke by Mariah before a Trish rana gets 2. Stinger splash by Harley! STORM ZERO ENDS IT. Harley is such a fantastic live show wrestler. CD responds to Hangman and he says he doesn't worry about getting punched - he was called an old man and asked what I'VE DONE!? He's wrestled around the world, and he's built up two wrestling companies and maybe 2024 wasn't his best year - he's not an EVP, HE'S A MAN TIRED OF BEING DISRESPECTED!







Brody King has arrived with his wrestle daughter to demolish Trevor Blackwell and does so wonderfully. Lexy chats with Brody and Julia Hart and boy it sure feels like Malakai is gone and Cope tells 38 year old black and grey bearded Brody King that it's time to run with the reins.  Shibata vs. Garcia is up in a match that is probably better in-person than on TV for the TNT Title. Boy, the TNT Title feels like it's at near Scorpio Sky-levels of nothing - and at least then Sky had a Lakers-themed belt.




Shibata and Garcia work so well together. CHOP BATTLE! MASSIVE CHOP BATTLE in the corner! CORNER CHOP into the basement dropkick and a kneebar! SAITO SUPLEX BY SHIBATA but Garcia pops up! MORE MOTHERFUCKING CHOPS! Dragon tamer by Garcia meets an achilles lock by Shibata! Snapmare and a nasty back kick and then a PK meets a dragon screw, into an armbar into a stack cradle for 2! SLAP BY SHIBATA! RIPCORD SLAP INTO A JACKKNIFE CRADLE FOR THE WIN. Oh, this will be even better uncut. 


Dax vs. Jericho has a long collar and elbow so Jericho doesn't have to really do anything or bump. Dax gets pulled into the post by Jericho's legs to avoid a crotching...and has to walk up the steps. Whoopse. Hockey fight punches on the barricade. Boy they're doing a Memphis special of doing nothing well here. God, imagine how good Dax vs. Jimmy Valiant would be in 2025!? Corner slingshot by Jericho and we get some chops before a floor sharpshooter by Dax is met with a shove into the steps by Jericho. In-ring sharpshooter is on but Jericho makes the ropes. Diving headbutt but Jericho...I think hit the ref and an ROH beltshot hits for 2.9. Judas Effect ends it after...well way too long. Even with the Memphis-style doing nothing with something, this went on forever.


Rated FTR and the Learning Tree brawl. DEATH RIDERS ATTACK! Cope hits a spear AND MOX HITS A PARADIGM SHIFT! Hobbs is out and saves Cope! Chair to the back of Hobbs but it does nothing! Marina distracts and Yuta eats a uranage through the announce table! 










 

Wednesday, January 8, 2025

AEW Dynamite 1-8-25

 



Ian and Daddy Magic are on the call and we get Ospreay in the opener against Buddy Matthews, who gets a nice PIP hype video with clips of him looking great at Full Gear. 

Monday, January 6, 2025

WWE Raw 1-6-25 - Netflix Debut

 


Raw debuts on Netflix and for $7 a month, it's a better value than doing Sling - even factoring in Max - it's about $15 a month for me to keep up with stuff versus $45. We get an arena pan over the venue and in it with stars arriving to the Intuit Dome. WELCOME TO RAW ON NETFLIX! The curtain over the ring IS A VIDEO WALL! HHH starts off the show because of course he does.



DWAYNE IS HERE! He's a babyface now and gives his younger daughters his belt and says you can watch on Netflix when as a kid, you had to buy a ticket or watch Saturday and THIS IS THE LARGEST ARENA GATE IN WWE HISTORY! Rock says bullshit which doesn't get muted. Rock thanks Cody for carrying the company for a year - well he did and Cody just bows to him. Well that's stupid. 



Solo vs Roman starts the card off. FUCK YOU SOLO chants are unmuted. Tie-up starts and Roman wins that. Solo trucks him and they fight around the announce table for a Solo iPad shot to Roman. Chairs to the back of Roman. Hip attack misses, but a low blow doesn't and Solo gets an edge again. Corner kendo stick choke by Solo but Roman last rides him through the table and Tama pulls the ref out at 2. 


JACOB FATU ATTACKS ROMAN! BME TO ROMAN! Spike hits for 2.9! Spike to the ref! Sami and the Usos save and the spear hits but there's no ref until it's a 2.5! OWENS STUNNER TO ROMAN GETS 2.9! Cody cutter to KO and a spear hits to end tribal combat for the OTC. THE ONLY TRIBAL CHIEF! Okay great that's over. Before Heyman can put the ula fala on Roman, Dwayne is out because he is now a shoot high chief. 






PENTA is coming! Cena is out to cut a promo with a new darker blue shirt - I dig it. He puts over the crowd and he puts over UPW in Orange County and rented a 200 foot apartment 600 feet from this building. THE PROTOTYPE WAS BORN IN LA! He gets a you deserve it chant and he says it doesn't see another World title run happening - he isn't better than Flair and it's been over 2,000 days since he won his last match. "My time is up - their time is now!" Cena says he has a better chance of winning an Oscar than winning the World Title. BUT HE COULD WIN THE RUMBLE! 



THE ERA OF LOGAN PAUL is here. Rhea vs. Liv is up and Rhea tree slams her down. Rana off the apron by Liv is met with a powerbomb on the announce table. Tornado X factor gets 2 for Liv. Trio of lariats and a rainmaker superkick by Rhea. Riptide turned into a backstabber by Liv for 2. Rhea beats up goons but eats oblivion for 2. 3 amigos by Liv and a frog splash gets 2. Rhea avoids oblivion and hits 2 RIPTIDES to win it! And she riptides Dom!






Taker is out and Rhea puts him over and they fist bump. Pearce and Gable chat and Gable says he'll win a singles belt and he wants the best luchador next week. Okay, so Penta vs. Gable should be great. Rock drinks and drives and he'll be on NXT tomorrow. Travis Scott is put over for the Raw theme while he just smokes a joint on TV. 


Drew and Jey are out for their match and we get a BOO YAY punch exchange. Sky high gets 2 for Drew. Jey spears him off a claymore attempt. Claymore hits after a headbutt. Claymore attempt leads to a crucifix win for Jey. Okay then. A GUNTHER ASS-WHOOPING MONTAGE AIRS! Fluffy is backstage being goofy and New Day is upset about him being interviewed instead of them. Roman and Heyman announce January 27th and go into a WWE 2K25 booth.



Hogan and Jimmy Hart are out to a ton of boos. In hindsight, they should have done like Hogan vs. Axel or something at WM. He says the fans are his greatest tag team partner and he just gets a ton of boos. Sheamus vs. Kaiser is set up and Gable vs. Penta is...still a mystery match. Priest vs. Balor in a street fight is up next week too. Seth is out in goofy red bullshit and Punk's got his ROH jacket on. Cole talks about COLBY LOPEZ leaving Iowa to train with  Punk and he couldn't afford it. 


Walk and brawl to start. Seth dominates but Punk hits the corner knee. Punk hits I think a plancha and the crossbody is met with a pickup by Seth and he sends him down WITH A GTS! Punk rolled out but another GTS hit for 2.9. Seth Pedigree on the announce table but he jams his knee and another mid-ring. Curb stomp next to the rope for 2.9. SUPERPLEX FALCON ARROW is turned into a GTS and he bounces off the ropes into a second GTS TO WIN. This was... kind of epic sorta. Good video game match.








Saturday, January 4, 2025

AEW Collision 1-5-25



Still feeling in a giant funk with everything going on with Kadie and having no responses from her beyond anger 3 weeks ago and it's driving me batty. Mom's birthday was 1/2 and it was a pretty good day - still tough, but new year's was harder. Still, every day I feel a little better than I did at the start of everything - but I still miss her every day because our bond was so strong and it felt magical. Everyone says "let go" and it's just not that easy.

SNME-style promos are back alongside Elton John! Mark Briscoe vs. Danny G is up first!  Nice back and forth slugfest on the apron. Corner punches. FROGGY BOW GETS 2.9! JAY DRILLER BY THE ROPE and that saves Danny! Danny snares a jackknife cradle off a cutthroat driver attempt and wins it! This ruled! 


Jeff Jarrett is out to face Aaron Solo and JJ is so great in the legend role. DOUBLE STROKE WINS IT - ok that's a weird one, but fun.  Ricochet's attack on Swerve is recapped. HA-A! Andretti and Rush came out as drip Gods to get a tag title match with Private Party. Cope chats with Lexy and having an issue with the Death Riders because they took out his friends before Jericho comes in and says he got hurt a lot and Cope says he's just an asshole.






Toni Storm is out to face Deonna and we get some great comedy. Storm Zero gets 2! Cradle wins it and we get a Dynamite recap and Daniels brawling with Hangman. Mortos vs. Cage vs. Komander vs. Dante Martin is up for $100K - I like this having non-title stakes with stakes. SPRINGBOARD DESTROYER TO MORTOS BY KOMANDER! Cage hits a discus lariat and Weapon X on Dante and wins it. 


FTR MEETS WITH THE ROCK 'N ROLL EXPRESS AS DO THE OUTRUNNERS AND THEY WANT THEIR GAS MONEY FROM  MEMPHIS! Fun trios tag main with a powerplex with a Cope flying elbow getting 2. Dax brainbuster to Jericho gets 2! Dax sharpshooters Keith and Jericho locks Cash up in the Walls for a slap exchange! Apron spear from Cope hits Bill and a Cope crossbody on the floor on Bill from the top! Shatter Machine and a Cope spear win it!


Cope cuts a promo but the Death Riders have tied up the RNR Express and THEY BEAT UP THE OUTRUNNERS! 





Friday, January 3, 2025

NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 19


 

THE RANBO BEGINS at 2AM and Great O-Khan starts off with Josh Barnett and MUSIC RIGHTS HAVE BEEN ALTERED. Boltin Oleg is out and does some nice matwork with Barnett. Hirooki Goto is out and then YUJI NAGATA! BARNETT AND YUJI! Boltin and Barnett work well together and they eliminate each other before Makabe is out! 


KENTA time and he boots out Nagata before YOSHI-HASHI is out. Yujiro Takahashi is out and he doesn't have PIETER and looks 50...so yeah... YANO ELIMINATES HIM! Tenzan is out and he is skinny before Kojima THE MLW WORLD CHAMPION is here! TENZAN ACCIDENTALLY LARIATS KOJIMA DUE TO YANO AND A CRADLE ENDS HIM IN THE MATCH! Honma. Jesus Christ CAN WE GET SOME YOUNG BLOOD IN THIS!? SANADA - Jesus. Went from WK in the main event to the ranbo. Fuck. 


Well this feels like a win for him given the field. Taichi is out and brawls with Sanada on the floor. ISHII and he headbutts Honma! BRAINBUSTER TAKES OUT HONMA! Alex Zayne is the last guy out and SANADA IS BOOTED OUT BY TAICHI! Yano goes for a buckle pad shot BUT HE GETS SENT OVER! O-Khan and Ishii slug it out before O-Khan chops Ishii off the apron. Zayne fights him off the apron and Zayne is taken out by O-Khan. Goto and O-Khan close it out REVERSE GTR HITS AND O-KHAN IS SENT OUT but he saves himself before GOTO WINS IT. Okay then well that's a thing to do - at least his theme is Dome-worthy.