Linus

* Anxious Millenial Cowboy "Hangman" Adam Page had a very good professional wrestling match with Frankie Kazarian. Kazarian's been quietly having bangers on Dark for the past few weeks, and let's face it he was ALWAYS good, and Hangman is just THE BEST. Seriously, when they were looking to push Page this time last year, after being in the Bullet Club and Ring of boring Honor, I was all, like, ugh, but I am a stupid man because he is great. Omega added some storyline beats on comms, too. Good job. * MJF is such a shitty person that even the heels at ringside were booing him. *: Only slightly but there's a weird feel to the Eddie Kingston stable family and it's not quite gelling. Like, why would the Lucha brothers hang out with the Butcher & the Blade? I DO like that the Mad King is AEW's continuity cop, hammering home that he wasn't eliminated from the battle royal, AND he's the only one who remembers that Allie should be with the Blade! * I get that Jericho is a BIG deal and I enjoy watching him (not as much as I enjoy listening to him on comms, but there you go), but this tag-team run seems way too forced, and Private Party got nothing out of this match at all, especially when Hager and Cassidy disappeared forever. I do like the Judas Effect, though. * Ivelisse, man. * I was, erm, all-in on jake Roberts when he first came in but he's a liability now, stumbling over his words and making every angle awkward. Archer can talk just fine. I'd have also preferred that Darby Allin was left as a - massively obvious, admittedly - surprise for next week. I like the push they're giving Will Hobbs, too. * The Parking Lot Fight - that's its official name, right? - was ace, with the right amount of big spots at the right times to do them, and the major league debut of SOMEONE BEING PUT THROUGH A DOOR. And I LOVED Best Friends driving off with Sue at the end, just as it should be. What I want now, though, is for Santana and Ortiz's mum - or just Dasha, I suppose - to come looking for revenge... * This was such an easy watch, after a few tricky weeks and an under-par PPV. It flowed nicely, with some big angles sprinkled throughout, and there's a lot of storylines going on to keep you engaged. If they could cut Dark in half - although don't rob me of KiLynn King or Red Velvet or The Initiative - and keep their PPVs under 3 hours, they'd be golden.

Kicking off the second volume of stories about the weird world of professional wrestling, WCBA #7 shines a light on the worst comic book ever produced, the best videogame ever produced, and more. Read about Kevin Nash, the AKI engine, the Butcher, the roots of monster wrestling in W*ING, Uncle Grandpa's History of Wrestling, and a primer on Mexican wrestling movies, all in funky fact fashion. 40 pages, black & white, 10pt Trebuchet MS You can get a copy posted to your house by sending £3.50 (£4.50 for anywhere outside the UK) through PayPal to [email protected]. Please tick the "sending to a friend or family" box and put your address in the notes so I know where to send it to! Alternatively, you can use the webstore at wrestlingcanbeanything.bigcartel.com, but it costs an extra 50p! I also do PDF copies for £1 each!

* Tully Blanchard's promo during the otherwise pretty rubbish tag-team appreciation bit was GOLD. He had me believing he could kick my ass, their asses, everyone's asses. Makes you wonder what might have happened if he hadn't been virtually blackballed for being a cokehead back in the day. * Chris Jerich-no. Yeah, he's fifty years old and probably has Covid, but Jericho was NOT at the races this week, taking flat back bumps for Dragon Screws and falling the wrong way for OC's mousetrap finisher. It's a measure of OC's quality that he managed to make it look okay but they just did not gel well at all, and the finish had to be rushed before the fell off the air. It happens, but at least OC got the big win and the big $7000. * "That was a $200 silk shirt!" * The Dark Order are becoming a tidy little stable, and Evil Uno & Stu "Fuck off JR" Grayson are showing the form they apparently had before I started watching wrestling again. Brodie Lee has me even a slightly bit excited for a Cody title defense, and there's a storyline bubbling involving NINE, apparently. Yeah, even NINE has better stories than the women. * The women's division is really struggling and it's almost as if they're of the mind that the matches on Dark and on the Deadly Draw make up for the lack of women's involvement on the main show. I don't want to care so much about this but there's the nuggets of a good division, even if Riho & Yuki are stuck in Japan, and Britt & Kris Stadt are injured. Heather Monroe was OKAY but okay's not good enough for national TV. * There are times when you look at Luchasaurus and wonder just how the WWE let him go and then you remember that he's only actually 6' 5" but looks much bigger here. Anyway, the Jurassic Express are such a great unit, with Marko managing to be both lovable AND make you smile when Kenny Omega kills him. * The TNT title isn't working. At heart, a TV title should be a stepping stone, for wrestlers not ready for the main event scene, and it has been that except that the champion is a main-eventer and so it's unlikely any of them will ever beat him, especially when it's used to put him in programs. The old TV title rule of six wins and out should be brought back, and Cody should move on to not being involved in the world title picture. * I love MJF but the whole MJF 2020 thing is off. I get that it plays to his strengths but Mox is a weird target for these attacks and it's an odd fit.

Cool, DM me an e-mail address! And there were a few of bands I wish I'd have had space to write about - VaderBomb most of all - that's why there'll be a punk issue part 2 at some point, even though it was more effort than the usual issues!

He’s punk-adjacent at worst ?

My ‘zine is very much a factzine so there’s story and context, rather than analysis. I’d love to read yours - do you have a PDF? We could swap if that’s cool?

WCBA #6 is the PUNK issue, and all the stories in this issue are about punk wrestling or punks in wrestling or wrestling in punk. Get the full story of Dark Wrestling Organisation 666, the low down on ANTiSEEN's wrestling album and Bob Mould's Hardcore Wrestling 'zine. Read about the career of "Prince of Punk" Shannon Moore, why the Angry Samoans are Los Angeles wrestling, and Jaime Hernandez's lucha Locas from Love & Rockets! 44 pages, black & white, 10pt Trebuchet MS You can get a copy posted to your house by sending £3.50 (£4.50 for anywhere outside the UK) through PayPal to [email protected]. Please tick the "sending to a friend or family" box and put your address in the notes so I know where to send it to! Alternatively, you can use the webstore at wrestlingcanbeanything.bigcartel.com, but it costs an extra 50p! I also do PDF copies for £1 each!

* Last week I was all, how wasteful is a Sammy Guevara vs Matt Hardy feud, and how little excitement anyone could have for it. Well, COLOUR ME STUPID because this week they made me care, and it took both men pulling out all the stops, including a savage colour job from Matthew. Maybe I should listen to Briley sometimes? * Still no Excalibur and although the commentary wasn't bad, there's absolutely no way that Tony "I haven't watched wrestling for a while and I'm just happy to see such fun" Schiavone should be leading a commentary team in 2020. JR kinda disappeared for a while, and given how good Tony & Taz were as a duo on Dark, it might not be the worst thing. Hopefully Excalibur will be back next week, though. * That opening TWELVE man, and the important milestone that is the first victory for NINE. Furthering the storylines for a whole bunch of shit, it was a hot opener that didn't even waste time on ring announcements, and played to the strengths of everyone involved, including the aforementioned Nine. Interestingly, Brodie Lee has 6, 7 & 8 crossed out on his tights so sucks to be those guys. The Dark Order are a highlight of stuff lately, and their BTE skits are awesome. Who knew, eh? * Matt Cardona is *fine* but he's also incredibly unnecessary, taking time away not only from other people who could fill his spot who are already on the roster, but also leaving us with no open challenge. I mean, I get it, and part of me really likes that they remember who their pals are, but sometimes it's just not needed. * Jon Moxley's run as champion has been a bit odd because of the whole virus thing, and there have been as many misses as hits, but this week was a great example of someone on the top of his game, with an A+ promo and a great main-event with Darby Allin, who actually looked like he was killing himself at times. As much as I love Mox, though, it's time to pull the trigger on MJeff, surely? * Sue's car got fucked up BAD. * The debate was SWEET, and I'm still pinching myself that Orange Cassidy is having a top line run with a TV promotion and loving every minute of it. Jericho has done nothing but make stars from day one in AEW and it's massively refreshing to see an "old timer" do that. OC HAS to win next week, yeah? * No Underground. Boooo.

Am I the only one who would watch a feeder promotion featuring Shawn Dean, Will Hobbs, Corey Hollis, Griff Garrison, KiLynn King, Anna Jay, 5, 10, Brady Pierce, Pineapple Pete, Serpentico, Robert Anthony, Joe Alonzo, Skyler Moore, Christi Jaynes, Dani Jordan, Faboo Andre, Rache Chanel, and the like? You can even have the AEW mid-carders headlining shows...

Dynamite thoughts: * It couldn’t hold a candle to last week’s Eddie Kingston match but WARHORSE did great as Cody’s open challenger. Cody gave him his spots, and the announcers made him sound like a big deal, albeit at a lower level than your usual “AEW superstars”, which is to be expected. He hit everything he needed to hit, and then disappeared when WE KNOW WHO THAT IS! turned up. * Brodie Lee’s papers made their Dynamite debut after some impressive outings on Being The Elite. I liked the way that Lee made Colt Cabana leave before throwing his tantrum (can’t let the new celebrity Scientology, I mean Dark Order, recruits see the weirdness too soon) - I was less happy with Anna Jay wearing a different get-up to the other recruits, that shit can fuck off. * Everything involving the Inner Circle and Orange Cassidy is a lot of fun, and the debate next week will be very funny, I expect. I feared for OC when he first came in, that he has a limited number of spots, but he’s still killing it and there’s stuff he’s done on the indies that will work here that he still hasn’t used. All eleven men in this match worked really hard, which was great until the finish. * Hangman Page’s big drink ruled. * Normal Matt Hardy against Sammy Guevara is a waste of both men and I struggle to care about it and it was a terrible way to end a really fun opener. * The women’s match was just “there” again, and I know they’re hamstrung in that half their roster are trapped overseas, and a few others are hurt, but it’s just so much ehhhhhh. I think I may be one of the only people in the world willing to give Cameron a Chance, though, so what do I know? * They’re hotshotting the Team FTW/Mox/Darby thing and it needs far more time to breathe, and the ridiculousness of it was highlighted when they announced that Tony Khan had booked Mox against “number 5 contender” Darby Allin in a title match next week. What about numbers 1 to 4? Ricky Starks is far and away the best half of his team, though, and got a lovely receipt from Allin for the ropes thing last week - his back looked so hurty! * That they kept Excalibur off TV because of a fifteen-year old slur which he immediately apologised for at the time, and has repeatedly expressed regret for, is dumb and playing to the shiftless trolls who go looking for this stuff. Taz was decent in his place, but JR got cranky and horrible without Excalibur to anchor the team.

I still remember Bobby Lashley’s debut in OVW, when he destroyed some fools and Cornette screamed, “OH MY GOD, IT’S BLASTER LASHLEY!” This was his first appearance, no-one knee who he was, but Cornette instantly made him feel like a big name. Excalibur does that well.

* That falls count anywhere match had so much GREAT stuff in it, from the Butcher & Blade doing some butchering with blades (and making sure to wash their hands before fighting), Matt Jackson slapping dudes’ faces with meat, Pepper Parks having a terribly hurty night (okay, maybe not that one), an elevator ride, OUTDOOR MUD SHOW, Nick Jackson being thrown into Nick Jackson, and Andy Williams being the HOSS we all need. Gold, baby. * The whole Eddie Kingston thing was encapsulated by him staring down the camera while forearming Cody, and threatening to tear Arn’s eye out (take THAT, Rollins!) and while I don’t have the MAD LOVE for the king (he’s A king, not THE king) that some have, it was a thrill to see him do his stuff, even with a bum knee. Now do WARHORSE. * I was trying think of a solid third favourite thing, and it’s a toss up between Lance Archer putting a man through the ceiling and then in the bin, Adam “gonna see how this white wrist tape works out” Page making everything look effortless, the FTR-Elite shit being slow burn awesome, or Brodie Lee. With one minor exception, NOTHING was bad on this show. * Those AEW action figures look ace but I’m FORTY EIGHT YEARS OLD - I can’t buy toys, can I?!? * What was the point of Ivelisse? Even if you ignore the gross stuff she’s said about mental illness in the last few years, and her connection to Chasyn Rance, she’s nowhere near the Ivelisse that rocked Lucha Underground, and can’t really live off a four-year old vibe. This is a problem at the moment that they could have fixed using Dark - give some of the jobbers wins over other jobbers so they can job on Dynamite without looking like jobbers. * Ricky Starks nearly murdered Darby Allin with his sneak attack, and it looked awesome but nearly murder is bad.

NEED. What is it?

Been here since late '99/early 2000. Drew a couple of covers for the video review back in the day. Got in an argument in chat with CM Punk over Palestinian rights. Asked DEAN! about what changes when you get married - "everything and nothing." Times.

The end of a volume of sorts, WCBA #5 completes the stories of Fighting Opera HUSTLE and Nick Gage, and also looks at the comic book wrestling career of Crusher Hogan, Southern Culture On The Skids & the history of wrestling bears, and the influence of Mad Max on professional wrestling! 44 pages, black & white, 10pt Trebuchet MS You can get a copy posted to your house by sending £3.50 (£4.50 for anywhere outside the UK) through PayPal to [email protected]. Please tick the "sending to a friend or family" box and put your address in the notes so I know where to send it to! Alternatively, you can the webstore at wrestlingcanbeanything.bigcartel.com, but it costs an extra 50p! I also do PDF copies for £1 each!

Does anyone know of a complete archive of 666 results?

Issue four of the funky wikipedia of wrestling 'zines is out now, and features part four of our five-part look at Fighting Opera HUSTLE, the final chapters of both the Charles Wright & Insane Clown Posse stories, that time the WWWF booked Battman, the story of Steven Universe's Tiger Millionaire, and we finally get to the best pure babyface in modern wrestling, Nick Gage! 40 pages, black & white, 10pt Trebuchet MS You can get a copy posted to your house by sending £3.50 (£4.50 for anywhere outside the UK) through PayPal to [email protected]. Please tick the "sending to a friend or family" box and put your address in the notes so I know where to send it to! Alternatively, you can the webstore at wrestlingcanbeanything.bigcartel.com, but it costs an extra 50p! I also do PDF copies for £1 each!

So I asked RIPPA and he kindly said I could post this here... After years of threatening to do it, WRESTLING CAN BE ANYTHING is a new 'zine by Alan of the Love The Graps podcast, trying to prove that wrestling can be anything and anything can be wrestling. 3 issues have been published so far: Issue 1 has the first parts of a history of Fighting Opera HUSTLE and the Insane Clown Posse's wrestling careers, as well as pieces on the 1970s World of Sport wrestler Catweazle, The Mountain Goats' album "Beat The Champ", the real-life superhero Superbarrio, and that time The Thing from the Fantastic Four became a pro-wrestler. In issue 2, as well as continuing the stories of Fighting Opera HUSTLE and Juggalo Championshit Wrestling, we kick off a three-part look at the weird career of Charles Wright, and take a look at the 70s wrestling sitcom The Losers and shine a light on Danhausen. Issue 3 continues well the stories of Fighting Opera HUSTLE, Juggalo Championshit Wrestling, and the weird career of Charles Wright, and also features an introduction to CHIKARA's Nouveau Aesthetic, BLANK & Still Life With Apricots And Pears. Rounding out the issue is the deepest dive EVER into Grunt! The Wrestling Movie. Each issue is at least 40 pages long, A5 in size, and uses the font Trebuchet. You can get a copy posted to your house by sending £3.50 (£4.50 for US orders) through PayPal to [email protected]. Please tick the "sending to a friend or family" box and put your address in the notes so I know where to send it to! Alternatively, you can use the webstore at wrestlingcanbeanything.bigcartel.com, but it costs an extra 50p!

EDIT: Stupid double post p.s. buy my 'zine.

Rey Misterio Jr lost his mask in WCW and then came back as Rey Mysterio in WWE with a mask on. Was the joke.

Pillman as Yellow Dog Hector Guerrero as Lazer Tron Tom Prichard as Dr X Rey Misterio Jr as Rey Mysterio

I tried to work out the timeline of stuff for myself, so you might as well as have it: July-December 1983: AWA, where he cuts the promo on Hogan December 1983: joins WWF May 29 1984: "At home with Dr D" airs December 28 1984: the Stossel incident February 21 1985: 20/20 airs February 28 1985: Schultz's final WWF match March 1 1985: Schultz to New Japan March 1985: copycat angle in Japan April 13 1985: incident with Mr T in Los Angeles April 1985: fired from WWF May 1985: Memphis, with the swastika shirt and JERRY LAWLER HAS AIDS incident September 1985: New York indy July-September 1986: Stampede November-December 1986: Montreal 1987: becomes bounty hunter

DVDVR got a shout out on the Black Label show. And I thought Jimmy Lloyd was dead. Good times.