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The more that comes out about All Out 2022 the more and more the whole saga feels like an even bigger "heel program" than Montreal was. Hangman: shot on Punk on live TV and in the process confused the fans by alluding to a bunch of insider feud shit nobody cares about. Dave and Bryan: talked about the Hangman promo salaciously on the Observer, comparing it to Bret vs Shawn in a favourable way, didn't condemn Hangman for what was both an unprofessional and uninteresting way of dealing with backstage heat with Punk. Also both went on to praise Ace Steele's stupid promo and his involvement in the angle leading up to All Out. Have continued to make matters worse with each passing instance of weighing in. Tony Khan: (presumably) didn't reprimand Hangman for going off script and confronting the future world champ on live tv. Punk: shoots on Hangman on live TV after Hangman was at least willing to do business and drop the title at Double or Nothing. Confuses the fans, makes himself look pretty and makes Hangman look like a doofus. Proceeds to feel emboldened by this act to the point where he goes nuts at the All Out scrum and publicly bashes everyone. Has proceeded to make matters worse every time he gets near a keyboard. Omega and the Bucks: whatever happened in the All Out brawl shouldn't have happened and they bear partial responsibility. Also whatever all the backstage heat was leading up to the initial Hangman promo, I assume they played a big part in stoking those flames. Ace Steele: the biggest heel of the whole thing. Got handed an Ed Leslie high profile tv appearance, cut an absolutely grating promo, threw a chair at people to defend his bro's honor. Dumb goatee, seems Iike a bully, wasn't any good as a wrestler. Moxley: has some plausible deniability for fault in that I could see him being perceptive enough to not want to job to Punk without Punk doing the job first. Things were so chaotic backstage and there was so much heat on Punk, I could totally buy that for his own sake and the sake of the company he didn't want to hand too many wins to Punk if he suspected Punk was on his way out and/or being uncooperative. That being said, it's not like Moxley needs to be that protected and the squash title change on Dynamite really made an already cold program feel even more disjointed and out of control. Obviously I'm picking and choosing my points of contention here but I really can't imagine anyone coming up with a coherent argument for any party being free of blame. The whole thing has been so ugly and exhausting and only occasionally interesting/entertaining. I think the best argument for not bringing Punk back is simply that his being there would be the most material reminder possible that all of this happened and continues to drag out in the first place.

No, if you want to make the claim it seems like you'd be able produce it. I am guessing you're a foot specialist on the side. Like the Dr. Robert Anderson of DVDVR. Also, if Tony Khan is the dad at the dais looking like a bewildered guest on the Jerry Springer show when he finds out his wife has been sleeping with her stepson for the last five years when Punk went on his rant at the scrum, I fail to see him being the dude that would force someone to wrestle hurt. How is he one way in the public but he's mid 90s Suge Knight in private? That doesn't make a lick of sense.

I've only caught a brief video clip of the Mox podcast on Renee's instagram, but it seems everyone is sleeping on the biggest news: Mox is wearing a fucking Ahmed Johnson t-shirt!

I'll make a very quick run at it and if you want more depth, I can provide it later. With Omega, more than almost any wrestler I can think of, I can never not see the strings. He's like a magician who does amazing, complex tricks, but that's always winking at the audience and showing them how he's doing it. It's never about the suspension of disbelief or what's organic in the moment. It's always about complex spot and match architecture. The edifices he builds are impressive and creative but they never feel natural to me. He doesn't try to hide the strings because part of the point is to show them, to make the fans feel like they're in on the act and that they're seeing something special. It all feels like a bit of a cheat to me, however, one that misses (or more accurately) changes the point of wrestling. I want wrestling to be cooperative and collaborative and thoughtful but not to look like it is. I'm impressed by his ambition but I don't want him to let the audience in to the extent that he does.

He didn't really address it. He barely even wanted to talk about it. He talked more about how he worked without a contract the entire summer and tried to bend over backward to put Punk over. That was all that was said. That and he thinks social media sucks and most people in the back just want to come to work and do their job, but instead you have one dickhead put out a tweet and that's all anyone talks about instead of how fucking rad Omega vs Vikingo was. And he's right. All of social media is a fucking pox. Stop being catty little bitches and get off this shit where you can vague tweet or hint at heat and whatever. That includes Punk, Dax, TK, etc. Basically, just show up for work, stop being a cunt, and do you job because it's the best job in the fucking world. Period.

Surely his third wish should be getting rid of the tattoo.

Also, Punk is/was probably the last guy, besides John Cena, that was going to hopefully move the needle for them. I honestly don't care to follow the ratings news, so please don't correct me if he didn't spike ratings or whatever. I'm talking about guys who's signing could generate buzz. I'm sure Punk didn't come cheap, so you've got this guy who you're paying a ton for and he's getting huge pops everywhere you go, so yeah, you put the title on him. I'm sure there were plenty of guys in the WWF locker room in 1984 that weren't happy that Vince Jr. was putting the belt on this muscled-up dude who couldn't hang in the ring the way someone like Backlund or Bockwinkel or Flair could, but that worked out great for the company. Now, I know that Punk not only didn't lead to that kind of success, and that the whole thing was pretty much a failure, but I think the logic of putting the belt on him was sound. That's my long way of saying that @Elsalvajeloco is right that it shouldn't come down to who's popular in the locker room.

Hey, let's see what Adam Cole can do as a babyface. I pretty strongly dislike his heel work but that's because of a lack of credible offense relative to most of the babyfaces on the roster and the fact that the fans want to cheer him anyway and despite what he claims, he never quite gets over that. I have cautious optimism that he might be ok as a babyface. What a sucker I am, right? Anyway, Daniel Garcia is a great test for this. If this doesn't work, he's doomed and we're basically stuck with him forever and therefore, we're doomed. Cole's a nice guy. I want him to succeed. Cobb can get a little Brian Cage-y sometimes, and I bet Omega brings out his worst tendencies but Omega vs a Base who can keep up with him sounds better than most "Omega vs" possibilities in theory. The things I dislike about Omega's work have really crystalized all the more as of late, and if anyone wants to hear them, I can go in detail, but no one does, so let's just move on. Willow vs Ruby feels too soon but it's not like we're going to get any closure out of it. The story does need to move to the next chapter soon, whatever that is. The match should be very good! Hopefully Ruby works a body part? Or just outbrawls Willow? She's got to get heat on her somehow and Willow has both the size advantage and the rage coming in. BCC vs Dalton/Boys will probably be a squash but it'd be nice to see Cesaro go at it with Dalton for a bit. OC vs Butcher will be yet another really good 15 minute OC match. Lots of big power cut offs and meanness. Hardy vs Jungle Boy is probably more of a Jungle Boy thing than a Hardy thing but hopefully we get some progression all around. The match should be good and no one should complain about it.

Just pay Lamar, it ain't my money Also Fuck Deshaun in the ass hope that contract is an albatross on the Browns forever and ever and ever like Bobby Bonilla except Deshaun doesn't get any of it because he's in prison or something

Psst. I really, really like Ring of Honor.

Just listened to the Moxley thing, and I can't recommend it enough. I mean, you can skip the blah blah about social media and Punk (never says his name, by the way), and go straight to about 40 minutes in when he starts talking about his theory of wrestling, and how not being slavish to a formula makes things feel more real. I understand where @Matt D is coming from on Hangman's style, but Moxley does a great job of explaining WHY that style can be compelling, and I'd like to hear Matt's thoughts on it. He also has great things to say about what "story" in wrestling really means. Some of my younger friends who have really only ever known WWE don't understand that the match itself *IS* the story, or at least it can be. Moxley talks about a grappler vs. striker story and how that plays out, and acknowledges that every sports game has a story, no outside gaga (like throwing a belt in a river; his example) needed.

You shut your dirty mouth lol. We don't need him to show up for a third time. He was also banned for slut shaming Britt Baker / demanding Sammy & Tay publicly apologize for hiding their relationship from him at an autograph signing / trying to fight posters under his first incarnation. The NFL is fixed was his second account gimmick but he was also saying more gross women's wrestling stuff. Don't you make that monkey paw curl damn you.

That segment plays like straight WWE PR. ITS A BATTLE ROYAL FOR OUR COMPANY, PAL.

The Real Housewives of Blackpool

Man, feel bad for Lashley. Goes from a feud with Brock Lesnar, to a feud ending match where the winner gets to face Bray Wyatt which is the worst prize for winning, gets stuck in some shitty segments for a couple weeks, then does nothing because who knows what's going on with Bray, and now he's been relegated to the Andre battle royal. I would say just make Omos vs Lesnar a 3 way match with Omos vs Lashley vs Lesnar and Omos can just take a powder outside for the majority of the match or take some cool double team moves from Lesnar and Lashley. Just watching that segment with a bunch of JAGs and jobbers all getting worked up over being included in the Andre battle royal and then it cuts to Lashley and it's like, damn, feels bad dude.

I think this show is going to be the hotness with the crowd. They built so much of this stuff up so incredibly well. 1) The main main event has been done perfectly. Everyone thought Cody was going to get swallowed up because of the reactions Sami got. The absolute exact opposite has happened. I thought that would happen. But they managed to weave Cody into the story seamlessly and he has hit it out of the park, and I say that as someone who was not a fan. But the secret to this is that Roman has been so little involved in interacting with him. It makes Roman both look incredibly important - less is more - and like an even bigger asshole heel. 2) Not much else needs to be said about the tag match. It is the most perfectly built match possibly ever. They legitimately have set up the biggest tag match in WWE history. They have four of the best performers of all-time firing on all cylinders (KO has been on fire with the whole reuniting with Sami story). They have made this a deeply personal and multi-faceted feud. This feud has done not just a lot for those guys but for wrestling as a whole. They showed that a storyline like this is possible. And they also have elevated the tag titles into the most important titles in the world right now, and that is not going to go away for a while. 3) Dom and Rey has been fantastic. This could by Rey’s last match and you know he wants to have a masterpiece with his son in real life. And they might be able to pull it off since Rey is the best babyface ever and has incredible sympathy headed into this. And Dom has become a wonderful heel based on leaning into this ridiculous stuff while also real sneakily becoming solid in the ring. 4) Seth/Logan has been fun. Logan is a great weasel. Seth is not always my favorite face but he just owned that crowd last night and knows how to use that to his advantage. That match is going to be a perfectly fine match of really athletic dudes doing really athletic stuff. 5) Edge/Finn is in a Hell in the Cell and is slept on. Heel Finn is so good and the Judgment Day stuff went from something DOA into a really fun group of asshole heels. Edge as a face I am not the biggest fan of but he is going to do some great over-the-top selling and vengeful face stuff that might not be good for Raw but is perfect for WM. 6) Rhea/Charlotte is not that hot a feud. But the basic premise of: “Rhea has been on a tear and won the Rumble and wants a second chance at the champ” is a perfectly fine way to build a match. I also think Charlotte is a fantastic in-ring worker (albeit way better as a heel.) But Rhea is just world class and has emerged as a perfect WWE wrestler. She is like a female Kevin Owens: She is everything all at once. She is a force of nature in the ring, a Chyna-style enforcer for a stable while also being great at smarmy gloating, and she has been aces with the goofball stuff with Dom. Crown her and let her rule over all for a few months. 7) I even like Brock/Omos. They kept it really simple — Omos has gotten the better of Brock twice, and who else can say that? 8 Cena vs. Theory is going to be a spectacle. Theory is at least pretty good in the ring and Cena is having a match with him for a reason. The match I am least interested in is Bianca vs. Asuka. That is pretty amazing because Bianca has had absolute classics at the last few WMs and Asuka is so consistently good and has been doing some good stuff with the goo in her mouth shtick. What a great job building all of this.

So I assume that Theory is cutting an empty arena promo because Triple H realizes he seriously fucked up by having Cena nuke him a couple weeks ago?

I'm hoping this is indeed what he learned. The television since Full Gear seems to suggest as much, since other than MJF throwing drinks on kids he's mostly focused his singles title pictures on guys he knows aren't gonna go bananas (Danielson, Joe, Wardlow, Hobbs, Orange, Darby, Jungle Boy...Sammy would be the potential exception to the rule there although I'm one of those naive types who chooses to believe Kingston's apology after piefacing him was a genuine acknowledgement that Sammy wasn't really at fault).

Wonder if Phil has seen Goodfellas.

The thing about wrestling though is it's not a popularity contest among the boys. Now you would like for the top guy (or gal) to be well liked, but there are several instances of that not being the case. We would like it to be this ideal meritocracy but that's definitely the one thing pro wrestling is not.

FTFY

@Belgian_Waffle That reminds me, you left out Chris Jericho. As for the parallels to Bret/Shawn, Tony Khan even let Punk go out there on one Rampage IIRC and let Punk give his version of the Lost His Smile speech. I guess Tony wouldn't allow him to get it back. I dunno. Vince let Shawn run amuck even when most of his friends (Aldo and Jarrett were like honorary members of the Kliq) were either on their way to WCW or on the shelf for almost two years. He coddled Shawn until Shawn got way too out of control even for Vince. Keep in mind, three or four months after Montreal, Shawn is basically written out as well. He shows up some months later as this non-performer who doesn't have a real purpose, but that's basically it for him wrestling in WWF for four years. Now that said, I see Punk as more of a Bret Hart level high maintenance and stubborn, refuses to budge on stuff type guy at this point. Bitches constantly about stuff which affects creative. That's why he's in the predicament he is in now.

Scorcese is one of those directors you'd never dare ad lib in front of. The point of the scene is to show that Tommy DeVito (Joe Pesci) is a very scary psycho who they're all clearly afraid of. It's like if you were out walking and ran across a fox (since you're in Ingleterre). You know it can be friendly so you may approach it or even like it. But you can never, ever lose track of the fact that it is a wild animal who can and WILL bite if provoked. And the fun part is, you'll never know what provokes it. --- Back to Mania news, apparently the Hell in the Cell will go back to it's original color for the Balor-Edge match.

I tend to leave my stuff while working on the computer which my wife gives me grief over. And as soon as they talked about it on the pod I looked around and saw bowls and cups and shit around me. So yeah, I felt that one. But cats do indeed rule. Now excuse me while I clean up my mess so I don't hear about it tonight.

Grumpy, dad bod, I’m-too-old-for-this-shit Tenryu Moxley rules. Pair him up in a buddy cop movie with some young whippersnapper

And as another example, all day people are going to try and dissect something that isn't there in Moxley's comments instead of talking about and getting amped up for JAMIE FUCKING HAYTER VS RIHO on Wednesday or MOTHERFUCKING SHIBATA VS YUTA on Friday. I feel like Dr. Dre when shit detracts from cool shit. So fuck y'all, all of y'all, if you don't like me, blow me.

The number of people on Wrestling Twitter posting some variation of “I loved the Bloodline/Goodfellas parody. I’ve never even seen Goodfellas!” is really disheartening.

I thought that was a truly excellent episode of Elevation. It's not that any single match was over the top great but the overall presentation completely worked for me. The balance worked for me. It sort of highlighted what makes Elevation so good when everything goes right. The crowd is up for everything because it's the first wrestling they see of the night, but it's with wrestlers good enough to connect with them, local people who they can get behind, and with such low stakes that it's almost like a house show, or maybe a late 80s Memphis arena undercard where they'd have a cycled down heel vs an enhancement act. Dirty White Boy vs TD Steele. On paper, I wasn't super interested with this one, but everything just hit. One of the guys (Myers maybe?) looked pretty good feeding and being in position. Nese and Davari love to team with each other and Davari's on record saying that they prided themselves on 205 live as putting people over and shining them up. I do think that the Nese/Woods team works a little better with Davari staying with the Trustbusters. There's less contrast with Nese and Davari together. Obviously the news of the morning is that Mox has been heavily working with Shafir and it's hard to watch her wrestle without keeping that in mind. She's a very different wrestler than she was months ago and it's exciting to think where she might end up. Part of the problem is that what she does is good in theory and works in squashes but it's hard to say what it'll be like in real matches as of yet. I get the sense that the Hale sisters are pretty green, and the match wasn't set up to really give them a comeback even if the crowd wanted to root for them. The crowd got a little behind Clayton too and he started moving about with extra zing including just bounding off the ropes because of that. Maybe he's not suited to be an aggrieved heel? It didn't last as the crowd glomped onto Bill instead. He's larger than life but I'm not sure it transfers into something useful so long as it's unfocused. But good on him that they were chanting for Bill and not Cass or whatever else. He was making the most of the crazy eyes. Maggie Lee had one trick (the hand switch tall bully thing) and it was a good trick. I've said a lot about Athena, but I just can't say enough. The reactions are so good. They built and built and built to the forearm and it's so good. Then every bit of reaction afterwards, from her innocent confusion at Tootie not moving and then taking advantage after a bit flourish post match, to bargaining with Emi and the vertical bump. It's all so good. The story they told with Hardy/Kassidy/Page was just tremendous too. So entertaining. I feel like I'm just saying that over and over again, but it's true. This whole show was just hitting mark after mark. Riho vs Diamante was ok, but I think their last match was stronger. I do like the banana peel finish on the second match. It makes her look like more of a threat to steal it from Hayter moving forward.

Does it make sense to say that even though I'm not terribly interested in most of the card, I still think they've done a much better job building to most of the matches on Mania this year than in a while?

ATHENA is AWESOME.

Also, FFS y'all, watch Rocky. It's the ultimate gritty underdog movie, it's as much about Rocky as an avatar for a city as it is about a person.

I remember the Sammy/Tay thing, and that got really weird really fast. He needed to go, he was relentlessly ridiculous. It would be one thing if he occasionally said something objectionable, but he wanted to argue with everybody about his nonsense. He might be my least favorite poster ever... and I've been here for a very long time.

Hell, Vince could have said screw it and put the belt on Austin (who seemed to be universally beloved for his attitude and well ethic) in 1997 instead of juggling it around just to put it back on Shawn who virtually would have started the year champ having beat Sid at the Royal Rumble. However, that wasn't the end game creatively speaking. I think that was a possibility but once he got that pop at the United Center, that was ballgame on him just being an attraction. I think it would be the same way if you had a John Cena or Dave Batista in the 1994 Hogan role in the * > 0% chance they would ever go to AEW. With Hogan it looked like he was just gonna be a part timer and then even on a rigorous TV and movie schedule, he ends up appearing more you than you actually expect. Even when they added folks like Savage and Luger, all those guys ended up with the WCW world title at some point. Now we're in the era where there are few names that unquestionably stand above all others. Vince tried to use Warrior as an attraction in 1996 (he got that one ridiculous pop at WrestleMania XII and then it was diminishing returns after that) and really got nothing out of it in that 3 months he was there. If you're going to work with someone who has already proven himself to be tough to deal with, you might come to the negotiation table with one role in mind and it ends being something entirely different.

Solo is a great prospect, but I thought he looked slow and tentative and not remotely on Cody’s level last night. I think it’s totally fine to burn his undefeated chip in service of a guy who’s ready to be The Guy now. It’s probably better for Solo’s development to drop the invincible act now, and just let him focus on developing as a well-rounded wrestler. (I think you can point to Jade Cargill as an example of another great prospect that the whole being untouchable thing is actually hurting right now.)

That Ricochet match was THE SHIT.

My sister came over last night to show me the sex toy she found in our parent’s house (both parents are deceased and we’re cleaning out the house to sell). I’m generally kind of stoic and unflappable, so sis greatly enjoyed watching me squirm. I thought I was old enough to be comfortable with the idea that my parents had lots of sex -we’re a big family, after all - but my mother was a devout, no-nonsense Catholic, mostly conservative and buttoned-down. She was a great mom and we had happy childhoods, but if I had to sum her up in a word, “matronly” might do. She’s about the last person I expected to own a vibrator, I was really weirded-out when sis showed me the batteries still work. My parents were both in their eighties when they passed. Trying hard not to ponder the whys of that one, So, yeah, I already hate this week.

I just call him that. Even better, Vickie said in an interview she wishes she could be involved in the angle and her AEW contract is up. I have no clue if Vickie is interested in a full-time schedule but man her managing Dom for a few months would be perfection. This is also just another way of me saying I want Vickie back on my TV screen.

I remember loving Christian’s singles run in WWE up until WrestleMania 20 (and then for a little bit after) when he was a heel with Trish. Maybe that’s just me though. I’d have to go back and watch it again, but at the time I distinctly remember thinking Jericho/Christian was the MOTN and that they had something going with him. Then Jericho just steamrolled over him that entire feud + being injured. Then the next year he was gone, and I believe Jericho took a break for a few years in 2005 as well so it was like… why even have Jericho go over Christian that much? Goddamn.

My main pushback is the Rhea/Charlotte match's whole build has been based on the 2020 match. If that's the case, then it really should take the same spot the '20 match did, and that's first on the 2nd night. End night one with Bianca retaining and the tag title switch.

I don't post nearly enough about my love for ROH because I'm typically basking in the love y'all have for it. But fucking hell do I love what they've been doing. And I may have startled my wife when Emi held up the title on last night's Elevation. I just had such joy knowing that two of my favorite women are going to beat the tar out of each other and it'll be glorious. Athena is such a wonderful champ because she not only brings meaning to the title but also is this unstoppable force that makes for great challenges to the throne. I would love for Emi to have a run but her nor Yuka are going to win. I still think Willow eventually dethroning her could work but that's not for a long time down the road.

First, I didn't say that Green Bay would get two first round picks. I said that we don't know the compensation. Two draft picks are only as valuable as the players you pick with them. There is always a chance that those picks will be used on players who will never contribute. I don't value draft picks as much as I value players who are actively contributing to a roster. If they have to trade multiple starters for Aaron Rodgers, that is a bigger price in my opinion than two first round picks. Those picks are lottery tickets, those players are the cash you get when you win. That cash has more tangible value, and Green Bay isn't about to give up Aaron Rodgers for nothing. Russell Wilson is going to end up in the hall of fame, that's not an indictment. Jones inability to throw touchdowns is a much bigger deal than Lamar throwing a couple more interceptions than him. I didn't think anyone could be more annoying than the NFL is rigged guy, but here we are.

Killers of the Flower Moon - the next Martin Scorsese movie - has been given release dates Oct 6 for limited release Oct 20 for wide release It will then stream via Apple TV+

Yep! That was the first Philadelphia show Hostile Takeover, which also featured the Rob Naylor-approved "Best Tag Team Match Performance By a Guy Who Was Never Seen Before Or Since" in Smokey Carmichael:

That is a tricky slope since we were told ten pages ago that Daniel Jones' rushing stats don't count when evaluating him. So if they can't be considered for Jones, they can't be considered for Lamar either (Jones had 7 rushing TDs last year, Lamar had 3). The fact is, everyone is going to skew an argument online that works for their own agenda, that's just how discussions on the Internet works If Lamar is worth as much as Lamar thinks he is, he'll get an offer he wants. I don't think the Ravens mind trading him, they just want the proper compensation for it, but teams aren't going to jump at the chance at losing multiple first round picks and signing a $300 mil contract. Personally, I think Lamar is over-valuing himself. I think he is a fringe top 5 quarterback (before someone asks - I'd rather have in 2023 Mahomes, Allen, Hurts, and Burrow with a clump of Lamar/Rodgers/Herbert/Lawrence after that). His stats have been lackluster since 2020, which was two injuries ago. If he can get top five money from a team, I'd be happy for him, I'm always in favor of players getting paid. I just don't think he's there and I think this is going to be very messy unless he can find a desperate team (like the Colts) that will bite the bullet and give him what he wants.

Big Time BEX takes on IYO SKY! Two Becksploidahs! Becky grabs Bayley's hair that let's IYO to kick her in the head! They trade stuff! Becky will lay it in. Scorpion Death Drop by Becky! Becky with a SuperPlex FOR TWO! IYO with an EVEREST GERMAN SUPLEX! A Becksploider! BEAUTIFUL Asai Moonsault! This is awesome. A series of nearfalls! Uranagi by Lynch for the win! That was great! Seth Rollins takes on Mustafa Ali! I assume this was made to make Rollins look like a total killer going into Wrestlemania because Ali is great at making folks look good. Two Stomps and that's that! That was very brief. It's an 8 man tag with Ricochet, Brawn Strowman, the Street Profits against the Alpha Academy and the Viking Raiders! This is like an AEW trios match- as they cram all kinds of stuff into every square inch of the match. They all face off and go at it! Otis POUNCES Strowman who bumps BIG to the floor! Viking Raiders beat on Montez Ford! Otis beats on Montez Ford! Angelo Dawkins makes the hot tag! Ricochet kinda runs in and hits a bunch of stuff without actually tagging in. Which is awesome. Strowman tags in and he crushes everybody. Ricochet hits a splash off of Strowman's shoulders and THEN Ford gets gigantic AIR on his splash! For the win! That was fun! Sonya Deville and Chelsea Greene takes on Candace LeRae and Mia Yim! Greene and Deville quickly win. Rey Mysterio takes on Damien Priest! Nice Lariat by Priest! Dominik beats the crap out of REY! Santos Escobar and the boys make the save! GUNTHER is going to beat the fuck out of Dolph Ziggler. JESUS! GUNTHER is beating the fuck out of Dolph Ziggler! Dolph makes a comeback! FAMEASSER! GUNTHER cuts him off by destroying his chest with a chop! Emerald Frozien and it is mercifully over! GUNTHER is awesome. Cody Rhodes and Solo Sikoa have at it. Cody goes after the knee of Sikoa. Nice Belly to Belly Suplex by Sikoa. Sikoa catches Cody mid-Tope and Uranagi's him onto the announce table! NERVE HOLD! YESS! Dustin-esque Powerslam by Cody! A Cody Cutter! Cross Rhodes! Solo with his foot on the bottom rope! Codysault to NOWHERE! Cody ducks THE SPIKE, hits a Cody Cutter.... and the USOS show up! Nearfall on Cody by Sikoa! Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens run out! They fight to the back! Cross Rhodes for the win! That was good. That was a good little episode.

It's Dark Elevation! It's Tony Nese and Ari Daivari! I don't think I've seen the dudes they are wrestling. Tony Nese is a HEAT MACHINE! Nese and Daivari do a lot more double team things than they usually do. NYLA! Marina Shafir! Briar and Sage Hale are sisters, I'm guesing. Shafir is fun with all the tricked out matwork. Okay, TK needs to sign the Hale sisters because they took a TRUE ass beating like CHAMPS. WILLOW NIGHTINGALE! Maggie Lee looks familiar. Lee is tall! POUNCE! CANNONBALL! DOCTOR BOMB! Zack Clayton is tagging with Anaya! BIG BILL! LEE MORIARTY! Moriarty leans into Clayton's offense. Anaya takes a Moriarty Float Over DDT like a PRO! Big Bill tags in and he is OVER in Kansas City! Big Bill/Moriarty hit an awkward finisher. BIG BILL IS ALL ABOUT THE DANCING THIS NIGHT! ATHENA! ATHENA! ATHENA! TOOTIE LYNN! Tootie starts off hot! ATHENA knocks her out! ATHENA IS SOOOOOOO AWESOME POSTMATCH! EMI! IN THE RING! FLATLINER! that ATHENA takes like a TOTAL CHAMP! MILLION BILLION STARS! Spanish Announce Project! MATT HARDY isn't gonna let his friend stay sad! They can't ever break up these dudes. Isiah Kassidy and Angelico are MAGIC in the ring together. Comfort Ethan Page, he is distraught. SERP and Luther make with the hilarity! THE CROWD CHANTS "ETHAN! ETHAN! ETHAN!" Kassidy screams like a little girl! SWANTON FOR THE WIN! So fucking GREAT! ETHAN IS DANCING! SO FUCKING GREAT! Diamante and Riho have a REMATCH! Riho is wearing her EVIL black get-up! Diamante looks great in this. Riho is leaning into Diamante's offense- as Riho is great at taking an ass beating. Flashpin rollup! POSTMATCH! Riho is a total bitch waving to Diamante from the apron! Between that and the Stokely Hathaway stuff on Twitter, a HEEL TURN IS IMMINENT! RIHO! RIHO! RIHO! EVIL!

If you like OG Candyman then please please please go watch Paperhouse. Incredible film.

When the Mox-Punk squash happened, which I saw live in Cleveland, I loved it because fuck Punk, but I even said at the time it didn't make any sense. It makes even less sense in retrospect. You could have just waited and did the match at the PPV if Punk wasn't cleared. Unless "Mox wouldn't job" means he wouldn't lose the interim title unless he won the real title first. In which case, fuck Mox a little bit, but also still fuck Punk. It's like fuck Bret for not jobbing to Shawn but also Shawn was a prick so fuck him too. Anyway, fuck Punk. Him calling out Hangman was the catalyst for all of this. I think Tony was kind of backed into a corner though. You can't really reprimand Punk when you have a crown in his hometown three weeks later expecting him to win the belt. Really, if you still want to do Rocky III at this point. Have Punk lose the PPV match, and build to a rematch after that, with Mox or MJF. In retrospect, you shouldn't've put the belt on Punk in the first place. Have MJF beat Hangman, either at All Out or sometime after Forbidden Door, and build to Punk challenging MJF down the line. Again, the issue is wanting Punk to have a big win in his hometown, especially after losing to MJF in Chicago earlier in the year. Fuck Punk is my point. Can't forget that. I will add that I also have never seen any of the Rocky films, except for the last hour of Rocky V on cable once. I'm a pretty big film nerd but some things you just don't get around to. However, I am six years younger than Punk, so that's my excuse.