A Lucha Underground Rewatch Preview!

 

Good Morning!

Lucha Underground. That mean anything to you? For me, it was an awakening. The combination of influences like grindhouse cinema, lucha libre and telenovelas, 70s cop shows and kung fu movies, and MST3K fodder like Samson vs The Vampire Women…all put into a blender and presented as a weekly drama that had some awesome wrestling that was different from everything available, and to this day has nothing fully comparable that I’m aware of. 

I’ve watched wrestling since I was a little guy -- SummerSlam 1990 was the first show I watched front to back, on a Coliseum VHS tape in my grandma Celia’s Chicago basement with my cousins -- and WCW and WWF were pretty much all I knew growing up. The second wave of stuff I remember was when TNA started out with its unique weekly pay-per-view formula. I think it was five bucks a week, and I remember having people come over to my second floor apartment in Forest Park for those. Amazing Red and Low-Ki stood out to me at the time, and I think I stuck with them for a while after they got a TV deal on…was it Spike? I’ll have to look that up. That would have been while I was still working at the animal hospital, around 2002.

When Lucha Underground was announced, I remember being incredibly excited for it. I wasn’t young or naive, but my wrestling diet still mostly consisted of North American fare. I was aware of New Japan Pro Wrestling, CMLL, AAA, and Pro Wrestling Guerilla, but I was far from a regular viewer. Hell, before Lucha Underground launched I met Kenny Omega at an empty booth before a Ring of Honor show on WrestleMania weekend in New Orleans, and I was basically just being nice to a guy who looked bored. I looked over while talking to my buddy and my wife, and he waved so I went to say hello. It wasn’t until later that night that I realized who he was, but he was a nice guy regardless. This is all to say, I’m not the most wrestling fan kind of wrestling fan. I’m not super online, and I don’t invest the time a lot of superfans do. I like what I like, and that’s changed over the years. But my love of Lucha Underground -- or the idea of it, anyway…the feeling -- remains.

[Fun side story: at WrestleMania 34 the night after that Ring of Honor show, my incredible wife went to get us some drinks during the event. I think it was during the four-way between Jinder Mahal, Randy Orton, Bobby Roode, and Rusev -- she stayed for the entrances and then went and got this tumbler that we still use for iced tea to this very day!

While in line, a person behind her asked if they could take a picture with the guy in front of her, a man about her height with an incredible head of hair. She thinks the guy thought she was the man’s interpreter. The man in question turned around and my wife took the pic of the two, and then he put a finger to his lips for the both of them. And that, friends, is how we learned that one Hiroshi Tanahashi was visiting WrestleMania 34 as a fan.]

So, before I wrote this, I thought this show aired like 20 years ago, rather than ten. I would have been around 35 in 2014… by then I was already out here in Colorado. And here I thought I watched all this from my place in Forest Park, IL, or maybe even my first place in Denver, but no, we were already full on suburban homeowners by 2014. Actually, I just peeled the last remnants of a Lucha Underground mask sticker off my 1996 Ford Ranger, which I didn’t have until around 2011…so this timeline checks out, I guess. So these treasured memories aren’t from some bygone era, they’re from like two jobs ago. That makes sense, though, considering the amount of folks from LU that have appeared on AEW. You've got Swerve, Angelico, Ivelisse, Diamante, Penta, Johnny Mundo/TV…and that’s just off the top of my head!

A Very Brief Primer On Lucha Underground

Let's go through the backstory of the show itself, and why I'm so amped to get into the show again, before we dive into an episode-by-episode rewatch:

Why do you care about Lucha Underground?

Lucha Underground aired on El Rey Network, and debuted about a year after the network itself. The idea behind that channel was something that really spoke to me, personally. Per the company’s website:

"El Rey Network is an English-language entertainment brand founded by maverick filmmaker Robert Rodriguez (From Dusk Till Dawn, Sin City, Spy Kids, Machete). Curated by Rodriguez and his artistic collective, the Latino-infused network revels in the courage, capacity, and creativity of ordinary people on extraordinary journeys through its unique original programming. In addition, El Rey Network showcases a wide range of iconic feature films and TV series including genre, cult classics, action, and horror/sci-fi."

As an English-speaking, Latino-infused individual myself, I found that pitch a perfect sell to my own identity. Add to it the fact that my folks raised me on genre stuff like 80s action, sci-fi, and horror, and my own love of Rodriguez and his pal Quentin Tarantino’s stuff, and it was the perfect channel for a slightly younger me. While I wasn’t watching the channel 24/7, and this was before streaming was as big a thing as it is today, I was happy it existed, and spent many a night watching Bruce Lee or Bruce Campbell fight evil in its many forms. These days, El Rey Network lives on via Roku TV, as a streaming channel that shows genre fare, some original programming, and reruns of Lucha Underground.

So, I care about it because both the network and the show spoke to me. I think representation is important in all media, and Latino representation in any media seems pretty thin. So, to get in on the ground floor of a lucha libre promotion like Lucha Underground, to see the beginning of something new and cool looking, that was created by like-minded individuals to myself, felt almost like a responsibility. Speaking of those individuals...

Who made Lucha Underground?

Lucha Underground was a collaboration between a number of talents, but the big names at the top of the bill were Robert Rodriguez and Mark Burnett, a British megaproducer who helped bring about shows like Shark Tank, Survivor, The Voice, and many more. Konnan had some influence on the show as well. He was brought in as an on-screen managerial talent and creative consultant, but he also helped to bridge the gap as a liaison between Lucha Underground's producers and AAA, one of the larger wrestling promotions in Mexico. Former WWE writer Chris DeJoseph was added as a creative head/showrunner type. This was a talented group of people, but their methods of doing business often clashed, leading to some tension between them.

Where it was made, and why is that important?

A Google maps photo of the LU warehouse in 2015

The Temple in Boyle Heights was as much a character in Lucha Underground as any wrestler. From the outside, it looked like what it was -- a hundred-year-old warehouse near the 4th Street Bridge in Los Angeles. But inside, the work of production designer Kelly Van Patter, who also worked with Mark Burnett to design Survivor's Tribal Councils, transformed the former railyard building into a temple. Using the right angles present in the bleachers, balconies, and the ring itself, the idea of kind of an inverted underground Mayan temple was established. Van Patter said that a lot of the set dressing was stuff she found at local flea markets, or things that were already in place in the building. "There's always a special aging that has to go into it, because this is a gritty fight club, so it has to look pretty grungy," she told LAist in 2015. "Some of the things we just take and throw around outside on the ground just to scuff it up and give it a layer of grime." 

And they used that setting to the fullest. I remember segments shot in the locker room, where the camera was uncomfortably close to the talent during intense conversations. Promoter Dario Cueto's office was shot like a 70's cop show, with partially-open blinds, warm colors, and little items on Cueto's desk that helped establish his character. Everything oozed attention to detail, and pride in both the heritage of lucha libre and the city of angels.

LA is known as a city of immigrants, and its heritage is intertwined with that of the Latino community. By basing the promotion in the city, and giving it a connection to it by way of a building that's seen a century of development around it, Lucha Underground was given a head start in relating to both LA residents, and people who identify with, or simply are interested in, Latino culture. 

We actually stayed pretty close to the warehouse in which the temple was housed during our LA trip for AEW Revolution. These days, it's just an empty building, available to rent. But as recently as 2024, the Lucha Bros held a show in the building, and still referred to it as The Temple. Maybe that proximity is what rekindled my love for lucha. Who's to say? 

What set Lucha Underground apart?

Credit: Variety

The production levels that this show used, first and foremost, set Lucha Underground apart from other televised wrestling. Backstage vignettes had more in common, visually, with Planet Terror than they did with SmackDown. The focus on fantastic storylines that occasionally bordered on absurd, on outlandish characters, and on over-the-top acting made the telenovela aspect of the show shine. Edited matches, something viewers of live shows like WWE's product, weren't accustomed to, streamlined the action and eliminated many of the botches that can happen during a live match. And that logo...man, I love luchador masks anyways, but I love that stylized mask and the font they used with it. Good production means getting little things like that right. 

Why didn't Lucha Underground last?

I mean, I wouldn't call a four-year televised run a failure by any means. In a world where far too few wrestlers were able to remain employed, any contract with a larger company with a TV deal meant a "guaranteed" income and more eyes on your product -- in this case, you, as a performer. Unfortunately, a combination of outside and inside forces conspired against the continued viability of Lucha Underground. Creative issues arose between Konnan and Chris DeJoseph, with the former leading an unsuccesful strike against the show. Konnan tried to use his influence, which is still felt to this day, to convince/intimidate his AAA performers to pressure management to change Lucha Underground to a more traditional lucha libre program, while DeJoseph was more interested in storytelling and presentation. And with megaproducer Burnett reportedly never attending a taping of the show, and his subordinates more interested in production and the appearance of the show, a line was drawn. Konnan ended up taking that loss personally, and as a result was hit with a restraining order after allegedly threatening both staff and performers.

But that's not all. Financially, the show became untenable, as production costs rose and income stagnated. A touring schedule may have helped, and merchandising was said to be limited. I know I had a t-shirt with the show's logo, and a decal that was on my truck for the last ten years, but I ordered those from the El Rey Network store -- I don't remember any individual wrestlers being highlighted for merch.

And then there's the whole contract situation that hampered things near the end. The last two seasons of LU weren't announced as far ahead of tapings as the first two, leading to rushed production of season four. Contractually, wrestlers weren't allowed to seek other employment during those between season  breaks, and after season four several performers ended up suing to get out of those contracts. 

In the end, as it is with most things, money was the problem. Would a Tony Khan-like benefactor have saved the show? Would a deal with a larger streaming deal, a lack of an offseason, or less of a dependance on the partnership with AAA? I don't know. I'm hoping to gain some perspective on the overall quality of the show throughout this project, and maybe I'll have a better answer for you afterwards. As it was produced as more of a telenovela with some wrestling, maybe it just ran out of creative juice. Or maybe it would have gone on to reach incredible heights if backstage drama and financial issues were resolved. We'll see!

Credit goes to Dave Knows Wrestling and Ring the Damn Bell for refreshing me on this stuff.

Let's Watch Some Lucha Underground!

I’m excited to dive back into this world of monsters and luchadores, madmen and snake women. A world where intergender matches were just accepted as the norm, and one where the guy who runs the show is as slimy as any “authority figure” character -- although Dario Cueto did keep his massive brother in, like, the basement of the arena in a prison cell, if I’m remembering correctly. I’ll watch, take notes, and do a little research to keep up with what went down at the time these shows came out. After all, this will be a history lesson as much as a reminder of what we had. I think I’ll have fun, and I hope you do to. You can even watch along once we get a schedule set…or at least watch the episode (however you can find it) before reading the next entry in the series.

In short, my memory is garbage and I’m due for a rewatch. So that’s the plan! I had been wanting to buy a DVD set of all four seasons, but that’s not forthcoming. I found a DVD set of Season 1 in German on Amazon, but that’s about it. So we went to [REDACTED], and sure enough I found and downloaded all four seasons! My plan is to watch one or two shows a week, write about them, and post ‘em here. I know a lot of talent that ended up in AEW, TNA, and WWE made their way through the Temple in Boyle Heights first, and I’m looking forward to being surprised to see who's there, or to learn who's under those gorgeous masks.

So Long For Now

So that’s gonna be where I wrap things up for right now. I’m hoping this is a long-term project that keeps me writing and interested, and given the reverence I have for both lucha libre in general and Lucha Underground in particular, I don’t think that’s a worry. Once I get into a groove we might get a real schedule -- I'm thinking watch/write on Tuesday, publish for Wednesday -- but right now its up in the air. Between trips to hang out with my new niece, wrestling stuff, house projects, and my wife going out of town for a few things, it’s gonna be more of a “I’ll let you know when something drops” scenario. Hope that works for you, brother! I just wanted to do a little primer/introduction before we got into this project. 

Follow me on BlueSky for updates and live watch-along commentary for AEW Dynamite. And, if you’re looking into 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 a professional auto mechanic, an unprofessional handyman and a somehow even less professional homeowner.

Until next time…Let’s Watch Some Wrestling!

Some thoughts on the discourse around Jon Moxley, and a belated recap of my AEW Revolution trip!

 One thing I’ve noticed about Bluesky, as opposed to other social media platforms, is that it learns pretty quickly what you want to see. Not that it’s forcing content on you, just that it respects your curation. Case in point: after this week’s AEW Dynamite, which featured Jon Moxley condensing the old “bed of nails” magic trick onto a 2x4, and then walking around the ring so everyone in the crowd could see that, yeah, that thing was really stuck to his back, I saw a lot of people complain about the perceived incoming complaints from Fed-heads or general tsk-tskers. What I didn’t see was any of the latter -- nary a “that’s too violent for TV” to be seen. 

To me, that might mean either one of two things. Either A, I’ve done such a good job weeding out trolls and bad-faith arguers that I’ve single-handedly turned my feed into a magical land with only the finest in vine-ripened wrestling takes. Or B, people want to argue so badly that they have taken to prematurely picking fights with people that may not even exist. I doubt either of those is completely true -- after all, a quick trip over to the vanilla #wrestlesky feed shows plenty of people still watching and talking about the dozens of pro wrestling companies they support, and hating on the companies they don’t. And I’m sure there were people who did find that match a bit much, but aside from the board spot, we’ve seen far, far worse on both AEW and other shows. 

Then I had a thought, and Googled “Jon Moxley violent.” And, as we mechanics often say with a dirty red rag in our hands, there’s your problem. It’s not regular people saying these things. It’s the hot take crowd. It’s the people who write about this stuff, usually for money or clicks. The first results (after the requisite four ads, and Reddit posts) are from sites like The Sportster, ITR Wrestling, Ringside News. And they all use the most spicy of headlines -- “Jon Moxley’s AEW Match Sparks Outrage…” and “Wild Backstage Reaction To Gruesome Jon Moxley…” 

I get that those sites make their money based on clicks and ads, because I got my start writing for one of them. And I get that sensational headlines are what get clicks. But I think it makes wrestling fandom into my little pug, chasing its tail just because it saw it out of the corner of its eye. Let me explain, because that’s not the clearest analogy. Right now, there’s a certain group of fans that feel defensive of their favorite promotion. You’ve got AEW fans that are aware of smaller crowd sizes, but the product is improving after a lull and there’s plenty of reasons to be hopeful. There’s WWE fans, who get grief for supporting a company that has no shortage of bad press, between the lawsuits and the Saudi blood money deals and the ties to the current US government, but it’s also inarguably the biggest, hottest wrestling promotion on the planet. GCW fans are getting it from both sides as their smaller promotion has gotten in bed, indirectly, with WWE while still doling out its particular brand of ultraviolence.

As a publisher or website owner, you see that powder keg and you can figure out how to get the most engagement pretty easily, rage-baiting fans to click on a sensationalized headline just to scroll down to the comments and argue for their brand. Detractors will reply, and next thing you know the comment section is a mile long and the article -- which probably didn’t have a lot to say in the first place -- makes you a good amount of ad revenue. 

There’s no end to it, and I wouldn’t want to live in a world where all wrestling fans watch and love just one type of promotion. I mostly watch North American wrestling, but as a Latino I love and respect the history of Lucha Libre enough to enjoy the occasional CMLL or AAA show too. I’ve seen some GCW, some New Japan, and checked out Joshi promotions like TJPW and Stardom too. This is to say, I don’t think of myself as a filthy casual by any means (I don’t even think that mythical “casual wrestling fan” exists anymore, but that’s another rant entirely) but I’m not nearly as invested as some fans. Hell, that’s part of why I stay on social media -- it’s great to get recaps and highlights of shows from real, die-hard fans who know the strong points of their favorite promotions. 

However, I don’t understand the constant sniping at other promotions. Nobody wins if a company shuts down, and aside from moral arguments for not watching the Fed, there’s really no reason to go after anybody aside from just being a dick. Don’t yuck someone else’s yum! I guess I’m not the arguing type, and a civil discussion about how far is too far is fine, but when was the last time a civil discussion happened on the internet? 

The AEW Revolution Trip!

Enough monologuing. What I’d like to do is tell you about the trip with my buddy to LA for AEW Revolution! It’s not the most timely recap, but I got a pretty nasty cold on the back half of the trip that I’m still trying to shake, so I haven’t felt up to writing about it. But I woke up early with a rant in my head, and since we’re already here, I figured now is as good a time as any to recap the trip before all my memories leak out of my head.

 We arrived early Saturday in Los Angeles, way too early to check in to the hotel. So we did some tourist stuff. Had Randy’s Donuts -- you might recognize the place by the giant donut on the roof, it’s been seen in plenty of movies -- and then went to the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. It was pretty cool, there was an exhibit on transformation that had stages of the legendary werewolf metamorphosis scene from “An American Werewolf in London.” Other exhibits included a study on color in film that featured a rainbow of costumes from various movies, and a temporary exhibit on Cyberpunk in movies that had some props and sketches from films like “The Matrix” and “Blade Runner.” Overall, it was pretty dope! 

After a stop at Trejo’s Tacos, where the kid managing the place noticed my Willow Nightingale shirt and chatted with us about the show, since he was also attending, we got checked into our place, and then headed to Santa Monica for the magic show. 

“A magic show?” you ask, incredulously. “What are you, a small child at a birthday party?” Firstly, I never went to a birthday party with a magician, so there. Secondly, rude. Thirdly, this wasn’t just ANY magic show, it was a performance by former Ring of Honor star and current Collision commentator Nigel McGuinness! The venue was a small place that looked incredible, with a waiting room full of 1950s-looking posters for magic acts and a bar with very friendly bartenders. We got drinks, had a nice guy do a little close-up magic with some quarters for us, and eventually headed into the performance room. 

That room held about 60, and Nigel’s assistant/partner introduced herself to several of us in the room. My buddy and I sat in the front row, and both of us ended up participating in the show. If you ever get the chance, I cannot recommend it enough. It was less tricks and more … I guess “mentalism” is how Mr. McGuinness described it? It was a lot of fun, and as the victim/guest for the finale I still can’t tell you how he pulled off any of it. Nor would I want to! We got to stick around after and chat with a few other fans, as well as Nigel and his mom, who joined the crowd for the second half of the act. All in all, it was a lovely night, Nigel was a lovely person, and the crowd was a good mix of wrestling fans and people who just wanted to see a show. 

The next day was the show. I woke up not feeling great, but not dying, so we headed to a market my friend had heard about. Just an amazing atmosphere, rows of every kind of eatery you can imagine. A nearby farmer’s market had fresh fruits, veggies, juices, and more. Unfortunately, my not-great feeling persisted, and after having a big juice, I opted to go back to the room and crash while my buddy explored the city before the show. 

I survived, felt a bit better after a nap, and we got a ride over to the arena. The Crypto Arena was really nice! The pavilion around the arena had tons of statues of LA Lakers and Kings statues, including Magic Johnson, Wayne Gretzky, and Shaq. We were only lined up for about twenty minutes before heading in, security was light and fast, and we were in line at the merch table in no time. I ended up with a unique looking Hangman Adam Page shirt that I got for my wife and a Kenny Omega shirt and Revolution hat for myself. We met our seat neighbors, grabbed some very overpriced beers, and enjoyed the show.

By now you’ve probably seen Revolution, or at least heard about it. We were right across from Leslie Jones, who delighted fans with her reactions to Swerve/Ricochet and Mercedes/Momo. The crowd definitely was at its lowest at the beginning of the TBS Championship match, but those women fought to get the arena invested and earned the noise they got by the end. And man…Toni Storm vs Mariah May in their brutal Hollywood Ending match, followed by my sweet Cinnabon son Konosuke Takeshita taking on living legend Kenny Omega, followed by a steel cage match between Will Ospreay and Kyle Fletcher was a hell of a triple header. The main event was a bit of a turd, especially after three match of the year candidates in a row, but I think everyone was sent home happy after Swerve Strickland made his presence known, pouncing on Jon Moxley before delivering a promo to the crowd as fans started leaving the building. 

I don’t think it’ll ever happen, but I would like to propose that fans who purchase a ticket to a PPV get a voucher to order a replay of the show, if not for free than at least at a discount. I’d love to watch Revolution with commentary, but I’m not paying another $50 to do so. If any company was gonna do it, AEW would be the one, but I won’t hold my breath.

So Long For Now

So that’s gonna be where I wrap things up for now. Things are still gonna be a little sporadic from here on out -- my sister just had her first kid yesterday (!) so a trip to visit is coming soon. My wife also has a few trips lined up, and with the weather getting nicer I’m trying to commit to doing some yard work for the good of both my land and my body. There’s also college basketball, which will hold my interest until my bracket fails me, as well as my puppy to train up and some other house projects. 

But I’m not abandoning this thing. I love writing about AEW, and I think I may start watching and writing about some other promotions, too. In short, I guess stay tuned to my socials!

Follow me on BlueSky for updates and live watch-along commentary for AEW Dynamite and, occasionally, Collision. And, if you’re 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 a professional mechanic, an unprofessional handyman and an even less professional homeowner. 

And in between my stuff, if you’re looking for some good writing, Erika and Suit Williams both do some good work. Anyways, take care, stay safe out there, and we’ll see you next time. Until then, let’s watch some wrestling! 

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. /