A month of trying to get something written, all wrapped into one convenient post

 

Good Morning!

I’ve been trying to post something for over a month now. My most recent attempt (current section excluded) is a decent, if melancholy, bit of writing I did on New Year’s Eve…Eve. I don’t want to just dump that, so I’ll include it at the end of what I’m putting together right now. I’m currently watching AEW Collision, because I was out of town for my little sister’s baby shower -- she’s expecting the first kid of our generation, the first grandchild for my mom. Dad missed little Dani by just a couple years, but she probably wouldn’t have that cool name if Mr. Dan was still around, so I guess that’s the way of it, as Kermit once told us. Life is full of comings and goings.

But being away from things, and diving back into both my house responsibilities and social media has given me a little perspective. I don’t know when we decided we weren’t going to have fun watching wrestling anymore, or when we decided that people who watch the show we don’t like are bad people. And I have seen people on BlueSky post that if you post about WWE, you’re dead to them. Well, I’m gonna keep watching the little TV shows I like. That means AEW Dynamite, Collision, and pay-per-views, but it also means I’m watching RAW and WWE PLEs because I have for the better part of my life, and because I would like to make another go at the professional version of this blog. 

I don’t owe anyone an explanation for that, but I will offer up one anyway. I’m aware that people with politics different from my own run that company; I’m also aware that I’m going to be dealing with people with politics different from my own in everyday life for the rest of my time here in the United States, and on Earth for that matter. Even putting that aside, I was lucky enough to get a job, a paying job, writing about pro wrestling for a legit wrestling website because of this blog. If I don’t discuss the biggest wrestling company in the world, during one of the most monumental times in its history, I’m not doing my reader(s?) any favors, and I’m not making myself informed enough to get another job if somebody is hiring. So I’ll keep watching the shows, and I’ll keep writing about them, and hopefully you all keep reading what I have to say. And if not, well, I’ll miss you and we probably had some fun interactions, but you do you.

Speaking of perspective, I experienced another little epiphany while I was in Tennessee. I’m gonna have to start treating myself a little nicer. I have let myself fall into, let’s say disrepair since I started writing. I know everybody says this in January, but it feels pretty important that I get a little healthier if I’m gonna be an uncle. This kid is gonna need all the support she can get -- every kid does -- and I won’t do her any good if I’m not around. Plus, as the oldest of three I technically knew her grandpa longer than either of my sisters, so I’m gonna need to share all the memories of our dad with the kid. 

Aside from spending a little more time outside and a little less time on social media, I’m gonna need to eat a little better and sit on my ass a little less. Fortunately, I have a wife who encourages me to be a better version of myself, a treadmill in the basement, and a TV in front of said treadmill. I should try watching wrestling on that thing so I’m moving while I watch this goofy, incredible sport.

The Wrestling Portion Of Our Program

All that being said, a LOT has happened in wrestling since last we spoke. AEW has made its much-rumored switch to smaller venues, and I think it’s been successful. The buildings it has chosen look incredible, and the smaller capacity means packed-looking houses rather than cavernous buildings with large swaths of seats tarped off. The verticality of these places is cool too -- seeing a wall of fans makes me happy. 

WWE made its Netflix debut, and it was … well, I guess it was what we should have expected. A lot of “hey look how great we are here’s famous people” and not a lot of actual wrestling in over three hours of programming. We did get a full stadium booing noted turd Hulk Hogan, so that was pretty dope. And since the debut episode, things have evened out and the shows since have hit a nice 2 ½ hour mark. I still think two hours is perfect for a weekly pro wrestling show, and some RAW episodes feel even longer than three, but so far the Netflix thing is working for Triple H and company.

Obviously we will have a lot to talk about in the coming weeks. AEW continues to push its Death Riders angle despite me not liking it. That’s not the same as saying that it’s BAD -- it’s just not for me. I have a lot of (possibly misplaced) faith in AEW, and I’d really like to come around on Mox and pals. We do have some big shows coming up in Australia, and even next week in Jacksonville. Things will progress, and maybe we’ll get a better idea of who will step up to the Riders with Darby climbing a mountain and Hobbs getting kinda pushed aside by Adam Copeland. 

Toni Storm’s angle is cool as hell, though, and even if I didn’t like anything else on Dynamite I would still tune in just for her. 

WWE has Saturday Night’s Main Event coming up this weekend, and I think I’d like to write a full-on preview for that. I do love a preview and/or review, and it’s a nice way to separate my random banter blogs from my show focused ones. Hell, maybe that means people who like my writing but not my choice of programming can read the stuff that they DO like. WHO SAYS NO? 

Oh damn, the Acclaimed breakup FINALLY happened as I’m writing/watching! Sure, the team hasn’t been super over in months, but better late than never! I’m really interested to see if Bowens gets the push a lot of us have hoped for, and what happens with Billy Gunn and Max Caster, too. There are a lot of directions all three men could go, and while The Hurt Business felt like the right direction a few weeks ago, some unaffiliated singles work could also be fun.

So Long For Now

So that’s gonna be where I wrap things up for right now. I intend on doing that preview for SNME, along with the Royal Rumble and maybe the AEW Grand Slam Australia show too? I hate to commit to doing a lot when I’ve taken this long just to get this far, so I think I’ll just take it one week at a time. Thanks for reading this far! 

Follow me on BlueSky for blog updates, pics of my dogs, random musings, and live watch-along commentary for AEW Dynamite. If you happen to be looking to buy anything from a smart fridge to a new drill, check out the tech writing I do over at SlashGear -- my lists are heavily researched, and ranked after thorough aggregation of expert opinions, reviews, and my own experience as an experienced, if unprofessional, handyman and an even less professional homeowner. 

As promised, the work I did from late last year follows. I think it is worth posting, even if it may not be as important to me as it was at the time I wrote it. 

12/30/2024

There’s always a reason. It’s not necessarily a good reason, but when I wander away and take a break there’s always a reason. The holidays can be stressful, but I try not to let them get to me. I miss a lot of people (and a pet) I’ve lost over the last few years, but I generally remain upbeat. My household gets a little stressful, but that’s just part of living with someone else -- they have different opinions on how Christmas should be celebrated, and their history with the holidays can have a striking effect on how they feel, and act, and just are during November, December, and January. 

All that is to say, I personally have been having a bit of a rough go of things, too. I always get introspective at the end of the year, and the ten minutes a day of sunlight we’re getting doesn’t exactly fill me with the energy I have in other months. I’ve been looking to cut back, to save a little more, and, yes, to try and get a little healthier. I’m not getting any younger, and now that I’m gonna be an uncle in 2025 it feels imperative that I, you know, live long enough to help raise this kid right, i.e. show them some wrestling.

I’ve closed the Ko-Fi donation link that, honestly, hasn’t shown up most of the time anyways. I’m not writing consistently enough to ask anyone for money, and I felt like I was letting the one guy with a monthly sub down. I appreciate the hell outta you, Ricky, and I’m sorry I couldn’t keep up with your stream, either.

I think part of my problem has been that I got real lucky when I started out. Writing has never been a true passion of mine in the way I know it is for a lot of people. But it is nice to talk about stuff I love, and since social media is a dumpster fire and I can only tell my wife about what happened on the night’s TV before her innocent eyes glaze over, blogging became the next best outlet. I enjoyed it, and that miraculously led to a short career writing Features for a real, legit website. 

Unfortunately, I guess the numbers weren’t supportive of a whole Features section, so we closed down about eight months after we started. I was, again, lucky enough to have an editor suggest me to a sister site of ours, and my relationship with SlashGear was born. And that’s fun, and researching products and writing lists while trying to shoehorn in some of that Midwest humor that burns in my heart is a good gig, and they even pay me in money. But I don’t have a deep love for that stuff, just an interest and the willingness to pound out an article or two a week so I don’t feel like a freeloader.

So my luck didn’t run out, per se -- I mean, I’m living a pretty blessed life these days -- but it certainly stopped being a motivator. I don’t feel great, in part due to a far more sedentary lifestyle but also just because I, well, don’t. I don’t know or care if I’m clinically sad or whatever, and I’m not about to figure that out in an official capacity. But 

Because that’s right -- I’m a true house cholo. I cook, I clean, I do dishes and laundry. I try to manage the house while also trying to knock out some work every week, even though it’s been made clear to me that it’s not that big a deal. And I’m not some kind of alpha male, frothing at the bit because MAH WOMMIN makes more money than me. She supports what I’m doing, but I think she’s also just very happy to work and have someone else take care of all the other things that are just part of adult life. I do kinda miss working on cars sometimes, and having the income that came with it, but at this point I don’t even think I’d be terribly useful at that work anymore -- it’s been almost three years now, and I’m so forgetful I’m sure I’d just end up forgetting to tighten a brake caliper or something equally terrible.

So wrestling has been on the back burner. I’ve been watching, but I don’t feel like I’ve been absorbing anything. Historically, this period between WWE’s Survivor Series and the Royal Rumble are pretty low-stakes, and AEW has done its damnedest to fill that void with a big company-wide “us vs them” storyline. And now that I write that out, maybe that’s my problem with the whole Death Riders thing. It, like literally everything else in life these days, has boiled down to two sides. AEW versus the Death Riders. 

I know if I post this without linking it on social media, it won’t get read. (I mean, if I’m being honest with myself it probably wouldn’t get read anyway, but that’s the whole point of telling people to read your stuff on social media, isn’t it?) And given that I’m just kinda venting and ranting, maybe that’s the way to go about this one. Put it out there so I can say to myself that I did, try to get back to writing more about things that are fun and up rather than bummers and downers. /

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

It's the Let's Watch Some Wrestling AEW Full Gear Review!

Good Morning!

Full Gear was pretty good! I really had a good time watching this show, and that wasn’t only due to the fine pizza and cat antics offered by my buddy’s hospitality. HOWEVER, if you haven’t tried it yet, I cannot recommend 7-Up’s Shirley Temple drink enough -- it’s amazing and defeats their cherry offering as my favorite version of the pop.

But I digress. Full Gear outdid my expectations, and featured matches where I didn’t expect much but was pleasantly surprised, matches where I expected more but was satisfied with the result, and one match that I was incredibly happy to have been wrong about on several levels. Let’s dive right into the review!

Zero Hour: Costco Man defeated QT Marshall, Anna Jay defeated Deonna Purrazzo, and Buddy Matthews defeated Dante Martin, Komander, and THE BEAST MORTOS

My Pick: Costco AJ and his Costco Son -- I WAS RIGHT!

2k24 said: QT

We only picked ⅓ of these matches, because only one had been announced when we wrote the preview. That 4 way was fun, but nothing special for AEW, and I missed the women’s match entirely. The Costco match was fun, though, for what it was. As I said in the preview, I have no co

nnection with the guy or the kids, but you could tell that both of the kids were having a blast. The crowd seemed genuinely into the match, and QT is the very definition of the wrestling term “a good hand,” doing all the best heel spots from the ‘80s in an attempt to get Costco AJ over. Even Big Show/Paul Wight got in on the fun, walking The Rizzler to his timekeeper post and defending him from an attempted assault by Marshall. Overall, it was a pre-show match that got eyes on the product. Could be worse -- could be a Paul brother.

Private Party © defeated The Outrunners, Kings of the Black Throne, and The Acclaimed to retain the World Tag Team Championship

My Pick: Private Party’s gotta retain here -- I WAS RIGHT!

2k24 said: The same!

Private Party won in a kind of surprising fashion, but they felt more like an afterthought in their big title defense. Tension between the Acclaimed’s Max Caster and Anthony Bowens was the big focus of this match, starting with Max throwing his microphone at Bowens before the match began and continuing in several spots during the fight. I’ve grown more and more annoyed with Caster over the past few months, with his edgelord Twitter shtick and increasingly trollish entrance raps going from silly to grating for me. I’m really hoping he initiates the breakup with Bowens, only for Bowens to end up being the member of the Acclaimed that MVP and the Hurt Syndicate wanted all along. Let him be a heel without a stable, just an unlikeable prick to eat losses and steal wins to get some heat.

The Outrunners and House of Black had some good points in this match, and Brody was able to shine as the big bad house of fire as well. The match was good, and the right guys won, but hopefully Outrunners vs FTR, an Acclaimed break, and the House of Black reunion with Julia Hart are all coming to keep those teams relevant too.

MJF defeated Roderick Strong

My Pick: MJF comes out on top -- I WAS RIGHT!

2k24 said: MJF

A match born from a rivalry that’s been simmering for over a year now, kind of, Roddy Strong vs MJF was another good, serviceable match with the right guy winning and the story coming out of the fight being more important than the fight itself. MJF’s submission win in this match made sense, and Strong going for backbreakers all night was expected, but the inclusion of Kyle O’Reilly, Adam Cole, and the Kingdom guys should all lead into some new directions for everyone involved except Cole and MJF, who HAVE to meet at World’s End to blow off this neverending feud.

Mercedes Moné © defeated Kris Statlander to retain the TBS Championship

My Pick: Mercedes retains -- I WAS RIGHT!

2k24 said: Statlander!

Look, I’ll admit to having been kind of a turd on this one. Mercedes hasn’t impressed me since her match with Willow Nightingale, and I honestly gave most of the credit to Willow for that one. Haters might say the same about this match, which is reasonable considering the fact that Statlander can make anyone look good. But Mercedes more than held up her end of this battle, and I was really impressed by everything she did in the ring on the night. Her reactions to Stat’s kickouts were wild, and I loved how she went from annoyed, to a tantrum, to confident, to angry, to finally relieved at the final three count. Statlander and Moné had amazing chemistry, showed some incredible creativity in their reversals, and put on what I would call Mercedes’ best match out of the Fed so far. Good on both women. 

I would have loved to have seen Statlander win gold, but with the turn on Kamille, Mercedes has more than a few women waiting to challenge for that title. If AEW decides to do that match at Winter is Coming, and quickly go with Jamie Hayter challenging for the TBS Championship at World’s End, Mercedes has the built-in excuse of working three big shows in a row against three big meaty women in a row. It all works for me.

“Switchblade” Jay White defeated “Hangman” Adam Page

My Pick: Hanger hurts Jay real bad among a sea of “Leaves IS Plants, Dumbass!” signs -- NEWS FLASH, DUMBASS, YOU WAS WRONG

2k24 said: Page

I loved this match, more than I expected to. Switchblade is a solid, dependable wrestler, and a guy who can get good results out of anything you throw at him. Heel leader of some weirdos slapped together to sell more Bullet Club merch? Sure. Babyface who maybe walked into a deathmatch with a guy whose singular focus has been murdering his one true love/rival? Why not?

I really thought this would be the match where Hangman’s current trajectory into darkness would pay off, but it was not to be. I like the story, though: you can go to “that place” when you’re faced with a rival like Swerve Strickland, but if you stay there, you’re not going to find anything but heartache. Jay White deserved the win, too, given how often he ends up losing these bigger storylines when he’s inserted into them. Maybe he’s the next guy to go after Moxley? I don’t think he’s quite beloved enough, but we’ll see soon enough.

Full credit to the “Leaves IS Plants” sign holders for getting BlueSky lore on TV, although maybe you don’t need to block the folks behind you every 40 seconds.

Kyle Fletcher defeated Will Ospreay

My Pick: Fletcher surprises with a victory -- I WAS RIGHT!

2k24 said: Fletcher

This would have been the match of the night on any other night, and probably on this night for many AEW fans. Flips, melodramatic acting, full-on SCREAMING from Fletcher, reversals on reversals on reversals…just great, top-tier professional wrestling. I love that Ospreay is so willing to get other performers over despite the massive pops he continues to get when his music hits. This is a guy who (Undertaker voice) “RESPECKS THE BUSINESS” and is doing all the right things to help get AEW back on track. 

I know some people have a problem with Ospreay’s history, but I think he’s shown genuine growth as a person and has apologized for his past, which is way more than I expect from most people these days. You can’t go back, but you can learn and grow and that’s gotta count for something.

Daniel Garcia defeated Jack Perry © for the TNT Championship

My Pick: Daniel Garcia steals one for the good guys -- I WAS RIGHT!

2k24 said: Daniel Garcia

Another guy I could easily see falling into the AEW vs Death Riders story is Daniel Garcia, who has been at the front line of the big team brawls in weeks past. Garcia picked up the win after some dramatic self-sacrificing by Perry, which will probably lead to a bit of “I wanted you to win for yourself” type promos in the coming shows. I’m not as high on Garcia as some people are, but I like him just fine and I’m happy to see him succeed. We’ll see if his character work is as strong as his wrestling as he moves on from the Scapegoat and into the featured feud on AEW’s weekly shows.

Konosuke Takeshita defeated Ricochet to retain the International Championship

No predictions

This was another match I wasn’t able to preview due to a late announcement, and if we’re being honest I would have been wrong anyway. I wanted this match to happen, and I wanted it to happen before Fletcher/Ospreay in a “top that” kind of way, in part because I knew that the Protostar and the Aerial Assassin would do just that. I dearly love my sweet Cinnabon son, and you can ask those closest to me about my lifelong crush on Prince Puma/Pretty Ricky. If anything, I wanted Take to lose, giving him a reason to enter the Continental Classic (more on that later). 

But he didn’t. This was a good, not great, match that hopefully leads to a great rematch somewhere down the road. Takeshita is as much raw talent as he is potential, with years left in his career to grow. He’s strong, smart, agile, and able to perform in any context asked of him. In short, he’s gonna be fine. Ricochet is evolving into more of an AEW style performer every week, and while getting the Fed off him is taking some time, you can really see that he’s trying his best to become what many folks thought he would be if he’d stayed on the indies, rather than going to WWE. 

Bobby Lashley defeated Swerve Strickland

My Pick: Big Bob smash, Big Bob win -- I WAS RIGHT!

2k24 said: Strickland

I really thought this would be more of a squash than what we got. It’s fine, though; Strickland is a former world champion, and we’re not trying to tell the story of his monumental collapse after losing his title. Lashley is going to be established as a monster more in the coming weeks, I’m sure, so this fight against one of the best talents AEW has on the roster makes sense in that regard. The post-match shenanigans let us know that the Owie Organization means business, and their business is DEEP HURTING.

The placement of this match on the card was a little weird, too. Likely meant to be a cool-down spot after what was assumed to be a barn-burner between Takeshita and Ricochet, I thought the proximity of “heel group beating down a beloved star to establish themselves” matches stuck out like a sore thumb. I love the Hurt Syndicate, don’t get me wrong -- if anything, I hope they stick around long after the Death Riders are forced to disband. That’s just all the more reason to keep the two teams separate, for now.

Jon Moxley © defeated Orange Cassidy to retain the AEW World Championship

My Pick: Mox retains  -- I WAS RIGHT!

2k24 said: Mox

This went just about exactly how I expected, up until the post match insanity began. Cassidy came out hot, hitting Moxley with Orange Punches galore. He was then beaten down and bloodied, but remained resilient and defiant, hitting a Beach Break that I nearly bit on. In the end, Moxley stood tall over the defeated Cassidy, and added insult to injury by going full Art the Clown on Orange, pouring what we were told by Excalibur was some kind of industrial ring-mat-cleaning fluid on the bloodied man’s wounds. 

After the match was when the real fun began. Hangman Page faced down Moxley before Christian Cage, his part-time associate, attacked from behind. Christian readied his contract for cash-in on the prone champion, only for Jay White to attack Cage. I don’t have much of a theory on what this means for any of the four men involved, although they do all have a bit of history that justified this whole angle. I’m definitely in “let it play out” mode here.

The mWo (I refuse to back down on that name) was headed back to their pickup truck/escape vehicle when what looked like a spray painted taxi obliterated the front half of their truck. The announcers asked who could have driven the vehicle, but come on -- spray painted skulls on a crap used car? It was Darby. So then Claudio assaulted the valet guy, stole some keys, and the Riders rode off in an SUV. The camera (shoutout to AEW for using this more mobile, handheld-style camera throughout the night) moved around the smashed truck to reveal Darby, skateboard in hand, as the next last hope for the All Elite brand jumped onto the hood of the pickup and smashed the windshield to end the show. 

The Continental Classic, version 2.0!

Sunday brought us the announcement of this year’s brackets for AEW’s now-annual Continental Classic, a points-based tournament that has two divisions and runs throughout December, culminating in the winners of those divisions face off at World’s End. Here’s the divisions:

I’m not sure if AEW plans on separating these divisions by show, like they did last year. Collision and Dynamite were operating with an unofficial roster split during the last C2, and if that holds true, the Blue Division is the one I’m way more excited for: that lineup can GET IT. Okada, Garcia, Briscoe, Benjamin, THE BEAST MORTOS, and Kyle Goddamn Fletcher? Tell me one matchup in that murderers’ row that doesn’t have the potential to steal any show.

That’s not to say that the Gold League is bad -- Darby is gonna get murdered (again) by Claudio Castignoli and Brody King, and even Ricochet and Will Ospreay can toss the little guy around while using their aerial abilities on him. It’s gonna be a fun December, and while I’m a little disappointed that my son Takeshita wasn’t entered, I’m looking forward to a potential Ospreay/Okada final, even though there’s plenty of fans who have seen that and are over it. But there are other potential finals that are interesting, too: Okada facing down Allen for the last piece of gold that the Elite holds is something. Claudio claiming another title for the Death Riders is another direction. Danny Garcia vs Castignoli keeps both of them involved in that AEW/mWo story too. There’s plenty of cool outcomes, is what I’m saying. What’s important is not to marry yourself to a fantasy booking and getting pissy when it doesn’t come to bear; there’s so many directions that both the ending of Full Gear and the whole December of this tournament can provide. I’m legit excited to see where 2024 ends for All Elite Wrestling, and hopefully next year provides more growth in audiences and love for this company that so many of us have enjoyed since its inception.

And that’s it!

Full Gear was a blast. Was it the best show AEW has done all year? No, but who cares? It was fun, it had some good wrestling, and it’s given us some very interesting possibilities for future rivalries and matches. Oh! And Mariah May turned on beloved visiting superstar Mina Shirakawa by trying to smash her upside the head with a champagne bottle! Mina, lovely and wise performer that she is, saw that attack coming and put her former partner through a table for her troubles. So, no Toni Storm just yet, but Mina vs Mariah should be a blast.

I still think it’s too soon to get right into Darby vs Moxley, but that’s because I think all signs point to the little skull-faced psycho becoming the last man standing for AEW. I think we’ve got to let things get worse, in kayfabe, before a Sting-like Darby appears in the rafters, ready to set things right again. I thought about Mark Briscoe being the next sacrifice to the Riders: a man literally every wrestling fan loves getting laid out to end 2024 feels like the way to go before the good guys finally mount a real comeback. Briscoe’s presence in the Continental Classic likely puts an end to that theory, but I still think there’s a few months in Moxley’s latest title reign before we put a new hero over. 

Next weekend is Survivor Series, which I’m not super high on because I don’t like WarGames as much as some fans. It’s usually fun, but I feel like WWE made a good decision in ending stipped-up premium live events like Hell in a Cell, and it always feels forced to make teams for the annual big cage match. I am looking forward to the stories that come out of this show, which has become the time of year when WrestleMania plans start to come into focus. Owens/Rhodes should transition nicely into Cody versus Rocky and KO taking Sami Zayn, and the Bloodlines will evolve and separate into a few different matches, I think. 

I’ll sim the announced matches a little later this week, and the Let’s Watch Some Wrestling Survivor Series preview will go up on Thursday or Friday. Then we’ve got some catching up to do with NXT before their next big show, Deadl1ne.

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, have a great Thanksgiving whether you celebrate or not, good luck to you retail warriors on Black Friday, 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