It's The Let's Watch Some Wrestling WWE Survivor Series/ WarGames Preview!

 

Good Morning!

It’s Friday morning as I’m sitting down to write this. The house is still asleep since my wife had to stop in to the emergency animal hospital she helps manage, and I slept in after cooking a massive Thanksgiving meal for the two of us and our buddy. So, leftovers for the next week or so it is! And not just any leftovers: the best idea from one of my favorite TV shows of all time, interpreted by one of my favorite YouTube cooks. It’s Thanksgiving Balls!

That’s right. As Shawn Spencer says, “It is an entire meal of turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, string beans, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, and an Andes mint rolled into a ball, battered, and deep fried.” A whole-ass Thanksgiving dinner, deconstructed and re-constructed into a handy little ball. And while Psych had a tendency to make up some outlandish foods without giving the viewer much background -- quatro quesos dos fritas, for example -- this is one that the internet was nice enough to prepare a recipe for. I’ve made them in the past, and I’ll be sure to post some pics of the glorious final product.

As for the week, I understand that many folks have a tough relationship with Turkey Day. It can be hard to deal with family for any number of reasons, and pressure to do what one is “supposed to” can really wreak havoc on the nerves. I ain’t here for all that! We run a low-key household, where we welcome anybody to eat and watch Mystery Science Theater and generally just relax. It’s been especially cool to have friends who just moved out here get to enjoy a meal or two with us before they gain a foothold and establish their own traditions, whether that’s with their own families or chosen ones. I just like cooking, eating, and watching robots make fun of movies on Thanksgiving. I’m a simple man that way.

The WWE Survivor Series/ WarGames Preview!

First things first here: I don’t really like the whole “Survivor Series as WarGames” gimmick. WWE went through all the trouble of getting rid of the contrived Hell in a Cell pay-per-view only to do the same thing with WarGames -- force a narrative so that a pair of big matches have to happen for a gimmick match at a gimmick show. And don't get me wrong, Survivor Series was that same thing before it was turned into Triple H’s new baby. But it at least made a little more sense, as teams were generally like-minded individuals, and the matches weren’t of the Blood and Guts variety.

The Fed considers Survivor Series to be one of its “Big Four” shows, although I would say that we hadn’t had many consequences for this big show for years, until recently. Before WarGames, the tacky “Raw vs SmackDown” storyline popped up every November, with superstars briefly becoming incredibly loyal to the brand they wrestled on, just long enough to squeeze a few matches out. But it was the format that I liked! Sole survivors, multi-person tag team elimination format, loose alliances with cool team names. 

Give me that over lousy builds for matches that are way too high-stakes for the storylines. I get it for the Bloodline vs Bloodline thing, that’s just an ongoing feud where every match at this point seems like it’s worth adding a stipulation. But the women’s WarGames match this year stands out for its slapdash construction. And yeah, WWE had to pivot away from Jade Cargill when she got injured, slowing the breakup of our women’s tag team champs. But it’s still a very flimsy set of good guys, teaming up to bring down the champs of both main shows plus some flunkies. And there’s no real stakes, either. You win, you celebrate, you move on. No championships or number-one contenderships are on the line…although there is still a Money in the Bank briefcase in play. We’ll get to that in a bit.

But I digress! The women assembled for this year’s WarGames match include some of the best in recent WarGames history, IYO SKY and Candice LaRae in particular. Bianca Belair and Rhea Ripley are top-tier superstars, and if this match somehow leads to a match between the two of them while Cargill heals up, all the better. And Bayley, well…we love Bayley. I’ve heard some talk that folks would like to see her turn heel again, but I think it’s too soon for that. She had a bummer of a championship run this year, and her theme music and character motivations are crap, but she’s still great in the ring. I just don’t feel like giving up on one of the greatest babyfaces in recent history for a quick bump in crowd noise is necessary -- at least not yet.

So let’s get into this preview. Aside from the two big WarGames matches, we’ve got three championships on the line on Saturday night as well. And since I enjoyed doing it, we’ll do the WWE 2K24 simulations alongside my own predictions. There’s a little hiccup in that the game can only handle eight wrestlers in the ring at a time, meaning our Survivor Series matches will have to lose a member of each team. I tried to pick the person who will have the least impact for their team in terms of outcome and storyline. 

I benched Candice LaRae for Team Evil - Women’s Division, because even though she’s probably going to have a bonkers spot in the real life match, I think she’s the least likely to influence the finish of the match. She also threw off the balance between champs and pals, so she’s out. For Team Good (no relation) I pulled Naomi simply because she isn’t in the game, and I forgot to download her when I was assembling this roster. Sorry, Naomi, although I do see stuff happening with you down the road!

For the men’s match, I had to employ different logic for who to sit. With a tag team on each team, it made more sense to bench the member who’s less likely to affect both this match, and upcoming storylines. So Jimmy Uso and Tonga Loa both were pulled for this one, and non-family members CM Punk and Bronson Reed were allowed to stay.

Bianca Belair, Bayley, Naomi, IYO SKY, and Rhea Ripley versus Liv Morgan, Raquelle Rodriguez, Nia Jax, Tiffany Stratton, and Candice LaRae in a WarGames match

As I said earlier, this match is kind of a slapped-together bit of business. Part of that is due to Jade Cargill being replaced by Bayley, but the whole bad guy team is basically together because the good guys needed people to fight, and those championship rivalries were already established. 

Aside from the constant threat of Tiffany Stratton cashing in her title opportunity, there hasn’t been a lot of excitement from the WWE women’s division. Rhea came back from an injury to resume her feud with Liv Morgan, got injured again, came back again, and just resumed that rivalry. Nia Jax has been dominant as champ, and the assembly of a team of mean girls to help her retain that title has been good for getting other talent on TV, but never really feels necessary, you know? Nia’s not a cowardly heel, she’s a powerhouse that doesn’t need to fall back on the generic tropes that most bad guys in a group use.

So what do we have? A couple champs and their pals, one of whom is worth keeping an eye on throughout this match, as Stratton cashing in is always a possibility. On the other side, we’ve got Bianca Belair learning to trust Bayley, whom IYO SKY turned on earlier this year before turning face herself. Rhea we talked about. That leaves Naomi as kind of a wild card on the good guy team. I think we’ve seen some hints that she could turn heel, as her position as the third wheel to tag champs Belair and Cargill might have birthed a little jealousy. She is a former world champion, why is she relegated to helping the tag champs retain their titles? For that matter, why was she put into a group at all? 

I kind of like the idea of Stratton cashing in mid-match. Inject some fun chaos into this women’s division. While we’re at it, let’s turn Naomi soon, too. Hell, folks have been fantasy booking her into the Bloodline for a while now. Why not bring some women into that whole storyline, too? 

My Pick: The good guys win, Bianca looks strong, some new stories begin

These matches are LONG in real life, and watching the video game version of them felt like it would be a little daunting. But the downtime between entrants is shorter, and the health bars at the bottom of the screen give enough extra information to help navigate downtime. I ran this one after the men’s, and as such plotted entries a little better. Bianca and Tiffy started things off, as I imagined Bianca wanted to show her teammates why she’s the de facto leader of their side, and Nia would want Stratton a little run down early, just in case she decides to try to cash in again. 

A regular back-and-forth between those two was ended when Raquel Rodriguez, with sledgehammer, entered the brawl. Bianca took a helluva beating until IYO ran in to help her out, but her missed dropkick to Rodriguez led to both the good guys taking extended bludgeonings from the baddies. Bianca eventually recovered, tossing Stratton into the other ring and resuming their match for a while. Raquel beat poor IYO up even more before swapping rings to help Tiffy out, and by the time Nia Jax joined in everybody was in the right ring. 

Crowding in that ring did the bad guys no favors, as Raquel “accidentally” whaled on Jax with her sledgehammer a number of times while Bayley made her way to the cage. Bianca and Tiffy really stayed paired up for the better part of the match, which feels like a programming issue but also made me want more of that matchup in a real ring. Bayley separated Rodriguez from the rest of the group, but IYO SKY’s penchant for trash can offense in real WarGames matches came true in the game, and she accidentally took Bayley out after 3 finishers would have ended the match. Nia hit a pinfall on IYO shortly afterward, and that was that. 

2k24 says: Bad guys win due to miscommunication!

L.A. Knight © versus Shinsuke Nakamura for the United States  Championship

Shinsuke is a weird guy. And I don’t just mean, like, his whole aura. I mean he’s hard to figure out. Does he still care about wrestling? His matches aren’t great, and haven’t been for some time. When he hasn’t been injured, there have been long stretches where WWE just hasn’t used him. I wonder if it’s just a case of mutual burnout -- Shin isn’t used, doesn’t like that, doesn’t put his all into his work. WWE sees that, isn’t in any hurry to use him again, doesn’t book him into anything too consequential. 

That brings us to this match, which could be viewed as filler in Knight’s championship run. Since winning the title from Logan Paul at SummerSlam in early August, Knight has defended against Santos Escobar, Ludwig Kaiser, Andrade, and Carmelo Hayes. While those matches haven’t been bad, I’ve never felt like any of his challengers have really had a chance. It’s weird to pick against better wrestlers simply because a guy says YEAUH and the crowd loses their minds, but that’s where we’re at with LA Knight. He’s still super over, despite his ring work being average at best. Plus, look at how happy he looks in the game!

But what if he does lose here? What if Shinsuke feels like proving himself and we get a longer feud and some good matches out of this budding rivalry? Nakamura has only been back for a few weeks now, and it would be a bit weird to have him lose immediately after re-introducing him. And he’s made some good points about LA Knight in his promos: if the US title is Knight’s identity, a decent story could be built around Knight needing to win it back, maybe even turning heelish to do so. It’s more interesting than Knight being the lesser guy in rivalries with guys who always seem to have better matchups floating around while they’re also engaged with Knight. So why not? Let’s be bold here.

My Pick: Shinsuke Nakamura wins, even if only to drop the title back to LA Knight in the near future.

2k24 says:

LA Knight retains, which is probably more likely even if it is a little boring. 

Bronn Breakker © versus Sheamus versus Ludwig Kaiser for the Intercontinental Championship

Sheamus and Kaiser have gone back and forth for weeks now, interfering in each others’ matches when they aren’t fighting directly. So it makes sense to just toss them into a match with Bronn together, although I don’t get why Breakker gets punished for these other guys being idiots. 

Regardless, I can’t imagine this plays out any differently than it has for the buildup to this match -- Sheamus and Ludwig negate each other, and neither walks away with a championship. Bronn should be able to have some fun with the double-ring setup that WarGames provides, though. Maybe all that extra running room results in a super spear for the ages? Who’s to say!

My Pick: Bronn retains, and Sheamus and Kaiser continue their feud.

2k24 says:

Shockingly, Ludwig Kaiser! The little guy managed to sneak a win by taking advantage of Bronn Breakker’s hubris. Bronn laid Kaiser out inside the ring before annihilating Sheamus with a spear near the announce table, but then the champ decided to pose and clear off the table for a big finish. While he was doing that, Sheamus recovered and slid into the ring, right into a possum pin for the quick 1-2-3. Bronn was locked in an animation, and wasn’t able to slide back into the ring to try to break up the pin until it was too late, and his elbow drop to kaiser was just a second too slow. Unlikely, but that’s why we sim the games!

GUNTHER © versus Damien Priest for the World Heavyweight Championship

I think WWE has done a good job with this feud despite it feeling really predictable. Priest isn’t winning here -- I think we can all agree on that. But when the former leader of the Judgment Day (non-Ripley division) won the match that scored him this title shot, I know a lot of us sighed and just figured we were killing time until GUNTHER gets into a real program with a real big deal superstar. However, the narrative of the champ questioning himself, and seeing what happens to his confidence as a result, has made for a few weeks of interesting TV. At least they’re trying.

Priest is always improving, which is a little weird to say for a guy that has been wrestling as long as he has. I think he’s got a lot going for him, too -- the whole “bisexual Undertaker” label is a little much, but he’s definitely got a rockstar vibe working for him. People seem to want to cheer for him, but putting him back into a feud with GUNTHER this soon doesn’t really help him. We know he’s not winning, and while the TV has been good, it’s had less to do with Damien and more to do with GUNTHER and, to a lesser extent, Ludwig Kaiser.

I’m interested to see where both of these guys go after this show. GUNTHER has a number of challengers waiting in the wings, and Priest’s solo face run should get some more time before anyone declares it a success or a failure. But for the purposes of this preview, decent match, GUNTHER wins, we move on.

My Pick: GUNTHER retains

2k24 says:

The same! HOWEVER, it should be noted that Ludwig Kaiser was manager for this match. I didn’t know that when you pick Kaiser to manage GUNTHER, there’s a lengthy cutscene with Ludwig doing the ring announcing for the champ! It’s a cool little Easter egg in a game full of them. Ludwig also directly contributed to the win, distracting Priest several times throughout the match. After hitting a Razor’s Edge that could have won him the match, Damien got into a shouting match with Kaiser that allowed GUNTHER to lock a sleeper hold in, allowing him to retain in a much closer match than I think we’ll see on Saturday.

Roman Reigns, Jey Uso, Jimmy Uso, Sami Zayn, and CM Punk versus Solo Sikoa, Jacob Fatu, Tama Tonga, Tonga Loa, and Bronson Reed in a WarGames match

This match has been so, so well set up that I am willing to forgive the whole forced nature of WarGames for it. Of course, when you have a single narrative that’s been running for the better part of three years, weaving its members into any kind of match isn’t too difficult. However, the addition of CM Punk and Bronson Reed, and by extension Seth Rollins, Drew McIntyre and Paul Heyman, has really put the outcome of this WarGames, and the direction of the story to come, into question. I legit have no idea if there’s a turn coming, although I did notice that Paulie was looking a little like a Solo Sikoa tribute in his red shirt and black jacket the other night. I haven’t seen spoilers for the taped SmackDown that airs tonight, and while I can’t imagine too much will happen before the PLE, you never know what little bread crumbs might be dropped.

I’ll say the bad guys win because there’s never not drama among Triple H’s good guys. It almost feels like the faces he writes are just waiting for their turn to, well, turn, because bad guys are just cooler. I don’t necessarily agree with that, but it has made for a compelling story so far. 

There are just too many moving parts on the OG Bloodline team for me to think that everything will go smoothly. Punk brings the baggage of a Drew McIntyre storyline that hasn’t necessarily finished up. Seth Rollins can say he was really thinking about joining up after being attacked, and Punk is just taking yet another opportunity from him. Heyman may still be holding a grudge against both Punk and/or Roman Reigns, and maybe he’s got another Paul Heyman guy or two waiting for revenge. Sami Zayn and Jimmy Uso aren’t even necessarily on the same page, and that doesn’t even begin to get into Sami’s forever rival/brother Kevin Owens, or KO’s relationship with Randy Orton and Cody Rhodes, too. And Roman, while playing nice for now, is only recently removed from a reign of terror that saw every show and every story revolve around his whims. On top of all that, there’s a nonzero chance that the Final Boss himself, the Rock himself, could make an appearance!

My Pick: As Dark Helmet said, “Evil will always triumph, because good is dumb.”

Solo and Roman started things off, because I didn’t realize that the entrants aren’t randomized. Whoops! That’s fine, though -- let the respective heads of the tables battle it out before their subordinates jump into the fray on their behalf. After some back and forth, Solo nailed Reigns with a spike before Jacob Fatu came into the cage. Roman made a bit of a comeback before the New Bloodliners realized they didn’t have to take turns attacking, and he was at the mercy of the two until Jey Uso popped in to even things out. Jey went right after Solo, giving me the pairing of Jacob and Roman that I really hope plays out on Saturday. 

Tama Tonga was the first to bring a weapon with him into the match, tossing a stop sign and a table in before joining. Sami Zayn took that as inspiration, tossing a steel chair and sledgehammer in, too. Things started to spread out a little more now, with Zayn and Reigns teaming up against Solo in one ring, and Fatu and Loa getting more than they could handle with Jey in the other. The addition of Bronson Reed moved everyone into the right side ring, but crowding started to make things awkward -- twice, Reed tried to put Zayn through a table only for janky pathfinding to force him to abort the attack. 

CM Punk came in last, and Bronson Reed immediately put the veteran through a table for his troubles. That victory was short-lived, though. While that was going on, Roman found Solo Sikoa once again, and locked in a submission that resulted in Solo tapping out and Roman picking up the win for the good guys.

2k24 says: OG Bloodline, with Roman choking out Solo Sikoa.

And that’s it!

Survivor Series, for all its flaws, has become the beginning of the road to WrestleMania. While the Royal Rumble is where it gets going in earnest, I think we learn a lot about who WWE thinks is “main event material” on this show. I’m hoping for strong showings for several of the participants in the matches on this show, as I really do like a lot of the talent involved. Tiffany Stratton is a superstar in waiting. Ludwig Kaiser may have lost his biggest proponent in Samantha Irving’s announcing, but he’s shown a lot of character development to go with his in-ring acumen. Priest and GUNTHER have worked together enough to maybe surprise us with some new wrinkles in their work, and Bronn Breakker could steal the show with some insane spot. 

On top of the non-WarGames matches, that main event is really going to show us where the next few months will lead. Challengers for both GUNTHER and Cody Rhodes may materialize, and undercard titles will also start to have some direction. It’s an exciting time to be a fan, and I can’t wait to see where we are after this weekend! We’ve also got Collision and Rampage on Saturday for the AEW sickos, so I’ll try to make time to watch those before putting together a weekend review of everything for the early part of next week.

Thank you so much for reading. If you liked what you saw, consider telling your friends, mentioning Let’s Watch Some Wrestling on social media, or even buying me a hot cup of coffee using the Ko-Fi button. Have a great week, and I’ll see you back here next time, dear reader. Until then, Let’s Watch Some Wrestling!

2024 Predictions

WWE Royal Rumble 2/4

NXT Vengeance Day 1/6

WWE Elimination Chamber Perth 4/4

AEW Revolution 9/11

NXT Roadblock 4/6

NXT Stand and Deliver 5/7

WWE WrestleMania Night One 4.5/7

WWE WrestleMania Night Two 4/6

AEW Dynasty 11/12

WWE Backlash 5/5

WWE King and Queen of the Ring (SSM XIV) 6/6

AEW Double or Nothing 9/12

NXT Battleground 4/6

WWE Money in the Bank 2/5

NXT Heatwave 3/6

AEW All In 6/10

WWE Bash in Berlin 3/5

NXT No Mercy 3/6

AEW Full Gear 8/9

Total Correct/Total Predictions 93.5/133

2K Predictions

AEW Full Gear 4/9

Bad Blood in our past, and some bloody movies in our future!

Bad Blood definitely cruised on the overwhelming success of its opening and closing matches. The CM Punk/Drew McIntyre feud that has only built in intensity since this year’s Royal Rumble has been incredible -- even more so when you factor in that Punk wasn’t really available for months after his injury at the hands of McIntyre. But they used that real life setback as a great way for Drew to lean into his heel character, attacking a rarely-present Punker until his return to the active roster. Say what you will about the whole “friendship bracelet” angle, that thing paid off in spades when Drew busted out the velvet bag many of us recognize as the holder of tacks from past hardcore matches. The audience’s surprise as McIntyre revealed a sack full of the beads that made up Punk’s bracelet was great.

And the blood! Dear God, these two didn’t need to go as hard as they did, but Punk knows how to get the most out of his broken body, and these days that means ultraviolence to both himself and his opponent. Drew didn’t back down either, earning 18 stitches in his scalp after the match. YIKES.

I really don’t have much to say about the middle portion of the show. Nia Jax retained after another teased cash-in from Tiffany Stratton, but she mostly dominated Bayley while also reminding Tiffy that she won’t succeed in using her Money in the Bank contract unless Nia is either incapacitated or dead. Finn Balor and Damien Priest had a decent match with the expected Judgment Day interference, but it’s been far too long for this rivalry and I’m hoping both of these guys move on to other dance partners. A segment featuring Gunther, Triple H, and Bill Goldberg revealed that the next Sweet Saudi Money show will feature champ-versus-champ matches for gigantic, gaudy, ugly belts that will likely not get referenced after that show passes, but that’s sportswashing for ya. 

Liv Morgan retained her championship with even more shenanigans, this time featuring a returning Raquel Rodriguez -- now a heel and apparently Liv’s muscle. I’m sure we’ll learn a little more about this when Raw starts in about fifteen minutes, but I really wanted to get this little bit written so I can start on a preview for WrestleDream tomorrow, once I get a chance to catch up on AEW Collision.

The violence of the Hell in a Cell fight that opened the show was matched by the spectacle of the main event, with Roman Reigns and a full orchestra teaming up with a college band and Cody Rhodes to take on the Nu Bloodline, represented by Solo Sikoa and Jakob Fatu. The match itself was good, but the post-match was even better, as we saw the return of Jimmy Uso. Jimmy has already shown that he remains loyal to Roman, and when the OG Bloodline returned to the ring to clear out the new guys as they attacked Cody, we got another return to close out the show. The Rock’s music hit, and he strolled out with his questionably-relevant Ali title belt over his shoulder. All kinds of questions can now be asked, and fantasy booking engines are in overdrive plotting everything from Survivor Series all the way to WrestleMania in Las Vegas. 

What’s the Rock’s whole deal? What does he want with Cody and Roman? Is he the true tribal chief, guiding Solo while he’s been on movie sets? WHO’S TO SAY? I’m looking forward to getting some answers, along with somebody addressing whatever happened between Cody Rhodes and Kevin Owens after the show:

Sure, it came off as a little cheesy, with Cody pantoming his emotions bigger than a mime in clown college. But it was also a unique way to have Owens turn on his friend, and I applaud the timing and scouting it must have taken to make sure fans were on hand to spread this story development via social media. 

And now for something completely different: A festival first timer’s guide!

So for the past five years, my lovely wife and I have attended the Telluride Horror show. It’s a fantastic little festival of murder and mayhem that takes place in the lovely little box canyon known as Telluride, in southern Colorado. The drive down from here takes around six hours, and some construction is making this year’s travel a bit longer but hopefully last perilous -- last year’s detour put us into a freak snowstorm that made us incredibly grateful for both my wife’s driving skills and our decision to put new tires on our Jeep Renegade days prior to the trip. 

We’re taking a friend with us for this trip, the first time we’ve ever done so. She had some questions, and it occurred to me that maybe folks who have never been to a movie festival might want to know what they’re in for if it’s their first festival, regardless of genre. So, in the interest of both public knowledge and “content” I’ve assembled her questions, along with some FAQs from the Telluride Horror Show site itself, and attempted to answer them as honestly and helpfully as I could.

Are the theaters usually packed?

They’re rarely not. There are three venues, with the one playing most of the movies we plan on seeing being the largest. The Palm is right at the entrance to town, based in the local high school. The Sheridan Opera House is closer to the heart of town, and feels like the small town theaters I grew up going to, like the old Lake Theater in Oak Park, IL or the Music Box in Chicago. That one tends to fill up quickly. The third venue was the Nugget, but it’s under construction and has been replaced with another theater in the high school, dubbed “The Blob.” So it’s TBA for that one.

Is it first come, first seated?

It is, kinda. Three day passholders are seated first, and there’s almost always a long line for any film. So there’s lots of waiting in line, which makes for nice conversation and a brief, intense rush into the theater. But in five years we’ve never not had seats, and the folks near the doors keep track of how many people are going in. 

Where do you typically sit?

If it’s up to us, we tend to sit in the one row with lots of spare leg room if we’re in the Sheridan Opera House, and near the edges of the middle area in the Palm so we can hop out for drinks or bathroom breaks without disturbing others. This is more of a personal preference thing though, and sometimes you just gotta sit wherever there’s a seat.

Do people applaud after the movie?

Yes! Most often, someone is in attendance who had a hand in bringing that film to life -- a producer, director, or actor. The movies are usually introduced by a host, and they will mention if those folks are there and if there will be a Q&A segment after the movie. But regardless, I think most movies get a round of applause just to show they were appreciated.

Can I bring a reusable water bottle to fill?

As far as I know, water is okay to bring into the venues. There’s nothing in the Official FAQ about it, and we’ve never had an issue bringing in our fancy officially branded Horror Show metal bottles.

What if the movie is too scary?

That’s a fair question! Some people’s lines are different from others, and we all have movies we’ve considered “too much” even if we’ve sat through them. Hell, one of the biggest arguments in wrestling recently was whether the AEW match between “Hangman” Adam Page and Swerve Strickland was too bloody and violent, and nobody even got disemboweled in that one!

The answer is, if the movie is too scary, you don’t have to watch it! There’s no shame in leaving a movie for any reason. There’s a ton of other stuff to watch and do while you’re down there. If you give it a chance, and it’s not for you, you can hang with the delightful people in the lobby while you wait for your pals (especially the Vinegar Syndrome folks at the Palm -- they’re always really pleasant and friendly, and down to talk movies) or just head back to your room! We’ve seen plenty of people leave -- actually, our first experience watching ANY film at Telluride featured a guy who loudly protested that there weren’t any kills fifteen minutes into a movie and stormed out. So, you know, don’t be that guy and you’ll be fine.

Have you ever left a movie because it was terrible?

Nope -- neither in regular movie-going or at the Telluride Horror Show. It could be a combination of poor judgment and believing that walking out meant wasted money and time. Or it could be that I like even bad movies, and can appreciate little things. At worst, it’s certainly something to talk about on the way home. 

But Telluride is special because it’s so well curated. I’ve never seen a movie -- or even just a short film -- I didn’t enjoy, and most of the movies I’ve seen I’ve absolutely loved. Almost all are worth a rewatch at home, and I recommend a lot of our past Telluride views to anyone who asks.

Do you attend any Q&As?

Yes and no. We typically go for the movies, primarily, and so pass on things like chats with filmmakers and authors. But, we’ll almost always stay for post-movie chats with people if we don’t need to sprint to another venue to make a movie in time. I think it’s great that people go to Telluride with different agendas, and the festival caters to all different types of horror fans. I know some folks who only go to see a few films, and spend time hiking and enjoying the town of Telluride on its own merits. We might even end up doing some local dining and shopping this year, since it looks like we may have overbooked our stay and there’s not a welcome movie this year.

Are there kids?

Not in any official capacity. Most folks know what they’re in for, and don’t bring babies or little ones to the movies. There are exceptions, though! We once had a little girl of maybe 8 who was a big horror fan, and her mom seemed to be the one tagging along more than the kid. Parents know their kids, and some kids are smart enough to understand what they’re watching. My mom worked in a local video store, and as a result my sisters and I were exposed to horror movies at a younger age than most. We turned out okay.

And that’s it!

I hope I’ve answered any questions you might have had. I'll take some notes and write movie reviews when we get back next week! If you’ve got any more questions, feel free to reach out on Bluesky @elosopequeno.bsky.social or in the comments on this very blog! I’m looking forward to Telluride, but I’ve also got a couple things to knock out before we head down in a couple days. I’m hoping to have a preview for AEW WrestleDream publish on Friday, even though I’ll be missing that show for the Horror Show. These things happen. I’ll do my best to avoid spoilers, and then I’ll either catch up when I’m home or just give in and read a review after I’m back home. 

Thank you so much for reading. If you liked what you saw, consider telling your friends, mentioning Let’s Watch Some Wrestling on social media, or even buying me a hot cup of coffee using the Ko-Fi button. Have a great week, and I’ll see you back here next time, dear reader. Until then, Let’s Watch Some Wrestling!

A quick return to normalcy

 

We’ve gotta stop meeting like this. “It’s been a minute” gets old, and it’s entirely my fault. But here we are, post All In, post All Out, just knee deep in the season of change for AEW and NXT. I just finished pulling down all the Halloween decorations but wanted to post SOMETHING because it’s been too long and those of you who read this blog, and thanks for that, deserve some fresh, delicious content.

I think we’re gonna go with something a little less structured today, and we’ll just put together some thoughts from everything we’ve watched in the last few weeks, and what we’re looking forward to with AEW Grand Slam, NXT’s big new network debut, and WWE’s Bad Blood all on the horizon.

Raw and SmackDown seem to have settled down after the USA debut of the blue brand, but with NXT’s move to the CW in a couple of weeks we’re seeing some big names on our beloved little black-and-gold developmental. CM Punk came by Tuesday to hype the Giulia vs Roxanne Perez tag team match, and then to volunteer himself as special guest referee for Ethan Page and Trick Williams. Those matches will both take place in Punk’s backyard of Chicago for the CW debut show, and Randy Orton will be facing lovable scamp Ja’Von Evans in St. Louis a week later, too!

NXT has plenty to crow about, special guest stars notwithstanding. Giulia is revered as a goddess by the folks who have seen way more of her work than me, which means I have some catching up to do. The rivalry between North American champ Oba Femi and mafia family head Tony D’Angelo has escalated into full-on CINEMA, with the challenger admitting that he’s afraid to face the hulking champion after his loss. I think this is cool, even though I know it’s been said that it’s just the Rocky III plot. For a man, on a pro wrestling program, to admit fear? It’s refreshing, and not something to be waved away as derivative. Maybe Tony D will finally get that win, and scream out, “Yo Adriana, we did it!”

Unrelated -- do you pay for a music service like Spotify or Pandora? I’ve never been that passionate a music lover, but my wife is. However, we’re both notoriously cheap about streaming services, and she does most of her music listening via YouTube these days. I still have a radio in my garage (KBCO being just about the only Colorado station worth a damn) but I also listen to the livestream from the radio station in Wisconsin that my old friend Edgar DJs at. My point is, the terrestrial stations still have far fewer ad breaks than streaming, although I guess that’s the price you pay for not, well, paying the price for streaming.

It seems like the “did AEW go too far with All Out” discourse has died down, and thank God for that. As a fan of horror movies, I know this conversation all too well. Everybody has a line, and sometimes they don’t even realize it exists until they’re brought right up to it. With horror, the early aughts brought us the wave of “torture porn” that included movies like Saw, Hostel, and the like. Just mean films that dared you to look away, while also showing off some impressive practical effects. Smarter people than me have said that it was a response to 9/11, with the country feeling vulnerable and helpless, and how watching extreme cinema could help lessen the blow of the real horrors we saw during news coverage of that event. 

All of that is to say, I think the line that AEW toed with All Out’s main event, and really several of the matches in it, was okay. It was all earned violence, with blood feuds that had been built over weeks of programming. Things escalated to a head, and they did so in a way that felt natural and even made it through All In’s pageantry. If All In is AEW’s WrestleMania, then it seems natural that All Out, just two weeks later, would be its Backlash. 

We’re not going to see AEW turn into ECW anytime soon. It’s meant to be an alternative to the Fed, and that means doing the things that the biggest wrestling company in the world simply can’t. Longer matches, faster pacing, and, yes, some blood and guts are all encompassed in that ethos, I think. For fans of deathmatches, there are plenty of great promotions like GCW. As number two, AEW is fine just featuring the occasional bit of brutality every few months. Also, it’s worth saying that a lot of that “what about the children” discourse is brought about by… well, let’s just call them “bad faith” fans, or folks who just watch to complain or point out what AEW does wrong in their eyes. I’m definitely not one of those, if only because I’m old enough to realize that I can simply not watch something that doesn’t appeal to me.

Speaking of AEW, this week’s Dynamite had a couple incredible matches in both its main event and Ricochet vs THE BEAST MORTOS. Any time you get a talented hoss facing down a high flyer, you’re bound to have some fun, and these two put on a show that’s worth hunting down if you have the chance.

The main event, pitting the trio of the Young Bucks and Kazuchika Okada against Will Ospreay, Kyle Fletcher, and my sweet Cinnabon son Konosuke Takeshita, was a helluva display of the talents of these four, some of the best in the world. Ospreay remains a study in how to simply ignore gravity and physics, and Takeshita and Okada continue to build their rivalry into (hopefully) a title match soon.

Really, the whole show was a lot of fun and deserving of your time, but I wanted to highlight these two slobberknockers.

And to highlight a great match from the other guys, that hoss match between Braun Strowman and Bronson Reed on Raw was the epitome of BIG MEATY MEN SLAPPIN’ MEAT. It also literally involved a man used as a projectile, so that was fun. Here’s hoping both guys survive long enough to meet again at Bad Blood.

Speaking of…Bad Blood is gonna be a lot of fun too! Obviously we’re not getting a bloodbath like All Out, but that doesn’t mean it hasn’t been built to be a good revenge based show. Rhea vs Liv, Punker vs McIntyre in Hell in a Cell, Damien Priest vs Finn Balor, and the MegaPowers-adjacent team of Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns vs the Nu Bloodline should all lend themselves to some hard-hitting resolutions, and there’s a lot of potential for more with a couple weeks left. Probably not too many more, as WWE is content with 5 match cards for these non-Big Four PLEs -- and an early start time to account for the UFC PPV starting later means it’ll end right on time for the MMA fights. I will, of course, do a preview with some predictions next week. 

What else can we talk about while we’re here? I’m hoping to find the time to revive our Remember A Guy segment, in which I talk about a wrestler you might not remember. With spooky season in full gear in the Pequeno household, I’m thinking about Kevin Thorn. Remember that guy? Spooky vampire wrestler? No, not Gangrel and the Brood, although that entrance RIPS. 

So yeah, we’ll revive that! I’ve also got my annual birthday trip to Telluride for the Horror Show coming up in a few weeks. It’s a film festival in one of the most beautiful towns in Colorado, and a great little break to watch a ton of new movies before they get a wider release. It also happens to fall on my actual birthday this year, so that will be spent across three theaters in a small town, where I’ll be getting my fill of violence for the season. It’ll also provide a healthy distraction from contemplating 45(!) years on this lovely little planet.

And that’s it! If you have questions, concerns, or comments, drop 'em in the comments section below! And follow me on Twitter (X), Facebook, BlueSky and/or Instagram using the links on the right. Have fun this long Labor Day weekend, whatever you end up doing!

Thank you so much for reading. If you liked what you saw, consider telling your friends, mentioning Let’s Watch Some Wrestling on social media, or even buying me a hot cup of coffee using the Ko-Fi button. Have a great week, and I’ll see you back here next time, dear reader. Until then, Let’s Watch Some Wrestling!