Gordi the former AEW fan

Just on my way back from Power Struggle in Osaka. It was one of the very best pro wrestling shows I have been to live, both in terms of match quality and atmosphere. My only complaint was it was a.very long show. The Frontier match, featuring Mochizuki's kid, Mochizuki Jr. started at 4:30. Meanwhile, the Japan World Series Tigers vs Orix game started at 6:30. The baseball game was finished before the wrestling show was! I love Hiromu, but I was burned out by the time the semi-main started. Main event 100% brought me back into it, though. It was a GREAT match, certainly for everyone there live. You can hear how hawt the crowd was. Hope the microphones picked that up well. Hope the energy and drama come across watching it on a screen. At the start of the match, the crowd was at least 80% pro-Ospreay, which genuinely surprised me. There were several little Japanese kids who screamed "AWE-SOO-POO-REYYYYY!!!" over and over again for the ENTIRE 40 minute and sixteen seconds. To the point where I was literally laughing out loud. But for the last third of the match the crowd was SOLIDLY behind young Shota. So, to me, that is GREAT crowd work, from both guys. And that table spot was far from the #1 highlight. There was a double cut-off spot that got the greatest double-pop that I have ever been a part of. The trios match was also excellent, in that "everyone slotted into the perfect role" way New Japan sometimes nails. Mox vs O-Khan made me lose my mind! I ran down to the railing and sat on the floor to watch it. OK. Home now. What else? Naito gets so much more love than Sanada, in Osaka. It is funny in a kind of cruel way. Even Tsuji gets WAY more love than the champ. Mochizuki Junior looks like a blonde Japanese Hook-style dangerous cutie and... There were a TON of cool and good things set up for Wrestle Kingdom. The best of which was an AEW favourite doing a video to challenge Okada after which the crowd... But... THE ATMOSPHERE was even better. It was my friend - who, a few years back, got me to pull my head out of my ass w/r/t Kenny & The Bucks & Modern New Japan, thus opening the door for me to get right into early AEW - who got me the ticket. More specifically, his new girlfriend got three tickets and suggested he invite me. She is really nice! My good friend has a really nice girlfriend who likes wrestling! I am happy for him. Also, I am happy for her because he is a great guy. On the train there I saw a guy around my age wearing a Desperado t-shirt. We got to talking. Ended up walking to the arena together and drinking beer outside the venue together, while waiting for my friends (and his son) to show up. I like getting there early. Soak up THE ATMOSPHERE. SO MANY people wearing New Japan gear. Particularly LIJ, but by no means exclusively. (Almost) Everyone is friendly, because we all have the same weird hobby. Best was a very tall and muscular Japanese guy wearing a BCC t-shirt. I said "Nice t-shirt!" at the same time he said " Nice jacket! " while pointing at my AEW hoodie. We laughed and fist bumped. Also met up with an internet friend of a friend who is touring Japan. We went for yakitori after the show. Pretty good day. That's Kazu, the nice guy from the train. (I'll post a buncha pictures now) By showtime, Edion Arena/Furitsu was PACKED. It was a GREAT crowd, even by Osaka standards. Reacted to EVERYTHING for FIVE HOURS. Friend of a friend. So, basically, a friend. Losing my mind during Mox vs O-Khan Mochizuku Junior. He seems like a super nice young man. One of his tag partners was dressed like a Machine. Like Super Strong Machine, I mean.

Obviously, Vikingo vs Komander vs Penta was going to have some spectacular and creative spots. But that match had some SPECTACULARLY creative spots. Guns vs X Division Legends was fun. Skye vs Shafir was stiff and nasty. Garcia vs Trent managed to combine stiff, nasty, AND fun. Effectively. The giant funny guy on commentary is named Paul, right?

Just try and imagine how different modern pro wrestling would be if they had to enforce those rules.

Timeless Toni gave Tony S an orange. While eating it, he got some juice in his eye... It... STIIIIIIIIINGS! Hey, Tony S, what is that thing Darby Allin is wearing around his neck to support his injured shoulder? It's (a)... SSSSLLLLLLIIIIIINNNNNGGGG! Hey Tony S, what sound does your penis make when you see Britt Baker? It's... I have zero notes about the actual wrestling.

It's a little known fact that pumpkins ripen from the bottom up. Shida's mistake was that she hit the pumpkin too high. Shida! Shida! Next time hit the... gourd low.

Excellent, enjoyable, entertaining three hours of wrestling there today. And, plenty more on the way! What does everyone figure Tony K's big gift for Sting is gonna be? I guess: Socks.

Seems like women getting the main event match on Rampage has quietly become SOP, and that seems like a good decision. Seems like fuck finishes in the main events is also a thing now... I am less happy about that, personally. Rocky vs Mistico 2 outa 3 falls makes me extraordinarily happy just by existing. Orange's match tomorrow will be fun, for sure. Also, it will determine once and for all which is the superior colour Claudio & Wheeler really work well as a tandem now. That was a groovy showcase of their teamwork. Three more fun hours coming up tomorrow! Also, elsewhere, Ospreay vs Josh, Kento vs Aoyagi... I heard WALTER vs Jonah was really good... It's a non-stop river of excellent match-ups. Literally too much fun. Yikes! I am sure Bryan vs Andrade will be excellent... But... Didn't it already happen in WWE? I think that, technically, disqualifies it from "Dream Match" status, but I am willing to listen to arguments to the contrary. Did Tony K actually announce it? I somehow missed it if he did. (Edit: He was even wearing Seahawks-coloured gear for their match! That popped me). I worry sometimes that the neverending bounty of this buffet is going to spoil us. So we'll churlishly complain about, let's say, Edge getting pushed over JD Drake or Dragon vs Idolo not being a *true* dream match or too many fuck finishes. Hey... It *could* happen!

To be fair... *Letterkenny gif* Andy from Kansas' question (to which I was replying) was "How do you feel about Adam Copeland’s “Rated R Rebuttal”? And not "What is your take on this Dynamite/AEW as a whole?" That being said, I was wrong anyway. That Edge segment was EXCELLENT. I will, despite myself, probably end up getting emotionally involved with the whole E&C reconciliation story, and the eventual retirement run. Speaking of: Bryan and Sting both retiring... Happy for them, sad for me (sad for us?) I enjoyed damn near every moment of Dynamite this week. Except for Sting making me sad. Not sure I can say I enjoy being made sad. Sometimes, maybe. I bet I enjoyed Blade vs Penta more than my wrestling buddy Paul did. I was NOT expecting a stiff chop exchange there! Max ❤ Max! NICE video package for Teacher vs Student. Lovely match, though I agree with Matt, Zen, etc that it would have been great if Emi won (and we got a rematch) Edge:Christian::Wayne:Garth Heel Suburban Dad Wardy vs Face Friedman could be excellent. MJF has beef with Wardlow, Joe, Kenny, Juice, Blade... I like it! Multiple stories and stories crossing over is one way (two ways?) AEW clearly differentiates itself from WWE. The Kingdom stuff still consistently makes me laugh. Red Pants Powerhouse with Callis is good stuff. Maybe this is where Hobbs gets overly over and stays there. I DEFINITELY enjoyed Fletch vs Omega more than my wrestling buddy Matt did. Nobody in my chat group made even a single joke during that match, which almost never happens. We were all quietly paying attention like a traditional Japanese crowd. Archer looked great. I love the shift to black and white for Timeless Toni. That seemed like a relatively filthy joke for US network TV. Was that in PiP for y'all? ***insert buddy and nick pic here later*** BotB is this Saturday?!?! Stat vs Willow? I'm in! Hook talking with his mouth full was enough to get a legit lol outa me. Him and RVD teaming should be fun! I hope Hungie wins that 3-way match. Orange vs Silver is a natural rivalry. That kick from Dustin was nuts. Hatless Hager should team with Limitless Lee and Timeless Toni. "DO THE DANCE!" chant. Huge pop. Max + Juice = Brian Cage. Foreshadowing!

Tony K loves his new toys, and so Sexton is gonna be treated like the biggest deal on AESE TV for a while (and I truly hope the endgame isn't actually bringing in The Dudleys to do a 3-way ladder match redux). The Attitude Era Nostalgic 'Member Berries Tickling is absolutely not for me. Ex-WWE Superdupermegastars being immediately treated as a bigger deal than the the wrestlers already on the roster is my LEAST favourite thing about current AEW, and has been at least since Jarrett and Saraya were brought in. I would, legitimately, WAY rather watch Nicky Boy or Sonny Kiss or Abadon or JD Drake or Yuka Sakazaki or Billie Starkz or Big Shotty or Queen Emi than watch (or listen to) Sexton Hardcastle (or Jeff Hardy or Saraya or Taya or Billy Gunn (or even Christian or Jarrett, both of whom have been pretty consistently entertaining)). I would be totally fine with having Dustin and maybe Sting (and Arn) take on ALL of the "veteran wrestler" responsibilities. My favourite thing about AEW USED TO be watching younger or relatively unknown wrestlers make a name for themselves, but crowding the top of the card with nostalgia acts somewhat limits those opportunities these days. So listening to Edge talk reminds me of that. So, it hits me roughly like a Kenny match hits Matt D or a Cole match hits The 6'4" 265 Pound Krav Maga Master. But I hope not to go on about that multiple times every week because... What would be the point? I appreciate you asking, JfC, but anyone who knows me presumably could have guessed my answer. I doubt any of this is shocking, to anyone here. You knew what you were doing when you asked me that question. (Somebody should ask me for my opinion on Jim Cornette's podcast next) And we ARE getting EMI this week! (Tony should buy the Sex Pistols' "EMI" for her. Just noticed that now, typing her name in all caps). And that match should rule. And as long as AEW keeps running Battles Royale and touraments and tossing me juicy bones like Bryan vs ZSJ and Kingston vs MiSu, (I guess, when it comes to favourite matches, I definitely have "a type") I am gonna keep enjoying AEW anyway. (edit: Bring back Shida's old entrance music!) (That's a thing I AM nostalgic for).

Also, there's a Battle Royal tomorrow! (Tomorrow morning, my time) If I am not mistaken, this is the first time that AEW has ever had a Battle Royal. I wonder if Wardlow will win. There are several wrestlers who would make interesting winners, MJF/storyline/matchup-wise. That will make this fun! Also Penta vs Switchblade. How many miedos do you think Penta will bring into this match? Personally, my prediction would be no meidos at all, but I am curious what everyone else thinks. And they have announced THREE not-actually-wrestling-type segments! Sting speaks, JR talks to Mrs. Wayne and her son, Nick, plus a new (presumably silent) Timeless Toni film. All Elite Sports Entertainment! Hey! You know who has two thumbs and loves Battles Royale?

Mad King vs Suzuki was The Second Best MiSu AEW Preshow Match, which is still extremely high praise. Obviously, I LOVED that. Swerve vs Dragon was among the Top 100 Bryan Danielson AEW Matches. Also, still very high praise. Loved that one, too. Orange and Shida both getting their belts back makes for two pleasant surprises on one show. Hobbs crushing Jericho was an even bigger surprise! And hugely entertaining. So I LOVED five outa the seven (edit: eight) matches we got here. That's pretty f'n good! Wardlow: Just a Guy. Just a Squash. Poor Ole Evan Bourne. Blade vs Hanger and The New Toy Gets the Main Event vs Kaneasaurus were both kind of more sports entertainment-ish than I personally prefer, but top to bottom that was a very enjoyable two hours and forty minutes of the professional wrestling. Taz called Luchasaurus a person. Kayfabe is dead. (single tear)

I would 100% rather watch Nicky Boy over any of the big name nostalgia acts being pushed in AEW now, except maybe for Sting. quick edit to add that I got a very nice surprise from Fight Forever just now:

Thank you, my friend! PERFECT choice of a birthday image there. Popped me. Lot of super-enjoyable peripheral stuff on my Birthday Rampage! Loved ex-JAS's matching white trousers ring gear. And the 4-way hug. Whose Hausen? Dan Hausen! I ❤ roided-up jobbers. (Apologies to Wise Guy if he got that bench-pressy naturally. Also, hats off, if so). Plz add Giant Swing Dropkick Combo to Fight Forever, along with Lung Blower One Winged Angel Combo. "What is this! A discotheque?" popped me like a Bryan Danielson is All Elite birthday post. Also, if Garcia gets abandoned by ex-JAS BECAUSE he is now TOO committed to sports entertainment/dancing, that is just GORGEOUS irony. Mad King on commentary for the Underground-esque 4-way! (because he's fighting the winner) gifts us with: "Oh! Like a kitty-cat! I get it!" AND " Then get kicked in the face, like a human being" AND the resulting match will be one hell of a clash of styles. Also loved that SPLX t-shirt. Considered buying one myself but I honestly have too many Japanese wrestling t-shirts already. Plus SPLX shirts are relatively pricey. Plz bring back Shida's old theme music! And the nose boop. But plz keep giving women the Main Event slot on Rampage. That has been going well, in my opinion. Really enjoyed Hot Tag Stat, and Shida clicking the right thumbstick for the... FINISHER THEFT!

My take on the whole "Toni Storm would like us to enjoy pitcherinpitcher, Adam Copeland used Christians 'shoot name' etc etc" debate is that I, personally, prefer it when AEW subtly-by-wrestling-standards breaks the sacred walls of kayfabe. I absolutely do not mean it as a repudiation of Matt and J.T's take. I can understand preferring that your willing suspension of disbelief not be deliberately disturbed. (I do mean it as a repudiation of the angry grandpa "THAT'S NOT HOW IT WAS DONE IN MY DAY!" - and therefore it should never, ever be done that way- take, however. If that is your take on this or any other subject please feel free to be mad at me). It's the same way I used to feel about Stat being an alien, Orange just doing the lazy kicks because that's how he is (as opposed to it being "mind games"), wrestlers being terrified of Abadon, etc etc etc For me personally, the great secrets of kayfabe have been out of the bag for a long time indeed, and in my opinion it's a tiny percentage of current and potential pro wrestling fans who 1) ) haven't heard the news and 2) who might, for example, see that a member of the commentary team is wearing a mask and thereby grow disillusioned. On the other hand, I have argued, long and loud, for the high value of "inside jokes" when it comes to forming a sense of community and the EXTREMELY high value of said sense in creating a passionately loyal fanbase (in the postmodern and fractured media landscape) ((lets say) O how I lament that Stat is no longer an Alien, Orange is playing mind games, and Abadon is now invisible. I don't think AEW should be looking to hire more big names and get more catchphrases over and try to pretend that they are The Big Time. I personally think they need to lean, heavily, back into the cute little in jokes and sense of AEW being "our" little special thing. ** But that ship has sailed. And the Wembley crowd in general certainly seemed to get the Hulk Hogan reference a LOT better than they got the references to indie and Japanese things, for example, so maybe there is value in playing to the LCD. But anyway I personally was happy that Edge used a secret shoot name and Timeless Toni broke the fourth wall and I personally hope we get more of that. i personally don't bother suspending disbelief while watching pro wrestling. Even something highly realistic and believable like the Gruff and Violent but Still Very Loveable Dragon vs Snide Technician from Kent fight, I am gonna be all "Oh! Excellent selling there!" while live-chatting with my wrestling watching internet messaging mates. * And I kind of assumed that was how everyone watches pro wrestling these days. it would be interesting to try and suspend my disbelief (or try to watch as if my disbelief were suspended, maybe?) and see how that feels. Today's Rampage is probably not the best time to try that, though. ** Catchphrases are relatively witless and lack subtlety compared to in-jokes, in my opinion. "To-fuu" and so on are the LCD version of the nose boop etc etc. In my opinion.I think "WHAT?!?!" kind of killed the catchphrase for me (personally). * (I don't think that match in particular would have benefited from any nod and a wink "in jokes" however. There's a time and place. Also, I frequently get caught up in and even emotional about who is gonna win and who is gonna lose, and how they will win and/or lose, even with my disbelief fully engaged). Edit one: possibly should have posted this in the Navel Gazing thread. Edit two: Hats off to Dolfan for the title of this thread! Gets a "Dammit, Dolfan!" from me.

Per the FITE app, Rampage will be: Daddy Magic, Cool Hand Ang, Jake Hager & Daniel Garcia take on The Hardys & Best Friends in an 8-Man Tag match. Kris Statlander & Hikaru Shida face off Nyla Rose & Marina Shafir. Johnny TV vs Komander vs Lince Dorado vs Penta El Zero Miedo in a Winner gets a shot at the ROH World Championship match. Not a bad birthday present from AEW to ole Gordlow (literally old. I am turning 58 tomorrow). It's been a pretty darn good birthday week thus far. Participated in a sake tasting event on Tuesday, serving (and describing and explaining) 4 delicious and rare local sakes to the 1000 participants of the United Nations PRI conference; then my wife and daughters took me out for a steak dinner on Wednesday (because the girls are busy with ballet tomorrow evening, (though there will be time for cake afterward); Thursday was a really enjoyable Dynamite plus I had time for an epic workout; Today I had a drinking lesson with some of my long time private students and got some really excellent sake and umeshu as well as pickled baby corn (!) and a full set of the gold (rich taste) Cup Noodles among my gifts; plus we ate a ton of yakitori. Then tomorrow Rampage, a COVID booster (my doctor thinks it's funny to give it to me as a bday present) (I kind of agree) and (presumably) delicious cake. Hopefully I will be able to squeeze in a quick workout also, if the vaccination doesn't take too much outa me. Only kinda sad thing is that my old friend Seth/Salty the Seaman was in town working for Cooger while I was away at the sake event, so I missed the karaoke party. On the other hand, I got a free ride on the "bullet train." I think this is Lince's AEW debut! Anyone know for sure? He's yet another Chikara guy (like Mad King and Orange/Fire Ant) that came over here to do a tour with Osaka Pro back in the early 2010s. I'm stoked to see him and also stoked for Rampage being a little bit random and weird and WAR-ish (which I personally LOVE) on my actual birthday. Hooray! Also the birthday umeshu is just unbelievably good. Made in my wife's home prefecture of Wakayama, which is famous for plums. Also my wife bought our girls a Chihuahua puppy and he is a VERY good boy and I suspect my daughters will give me a little present "from" the dog and if so I will most likely be delighted.

There were SEVERAL instances during this show where I thought "I am enjoying this SO much more than my buddy Matt right now. Also probably my friend Paul. And various others over on DVDVR." Then i started to look forward to reading the reactions here. Then I thought, "Fuck it, let's go post my apparently-contrarian and "dammit, Gordlow!" type thoughts... First: Two suggestions for continuing the Roddy/Kingdom/Cole skits: 1) Have Roddy yelling AADDDAAMMM!!, and various other Adams show up (Page, Copeland, Bomb, Scherr, Ant (an underrated member of The Colony), Sandler...) 2) Have John Silver drop by and yell "AAAANNNAAAAAAA!!!" while Roddy yells " AADDDDDAAAMMMM!!" Edit: the giraffe is already my second-favourite pro wrestling stuffed animal, after Hiromu's cat Darryl. Second: I miss Butcher's long scraggly hair. Only thing more disgusting than a bald-headed freak is two stinking ugly bald-headed freaks. My best laugh of the show was the completely botched attempt to hum Beethoven's 5th at the end of the Wardlow match. Also, I owe Craig Haitch an apology. Wardlow really is "just a (huge) guy" without the man bun! I was honestly, like, "Who is this dude?" when he first came out to face Griff. Dragon vs Swerve, Fenix vs Mox, Hobbs vs Jerico, that other match they announced! Dang. The potentially great matches just keep coming. (Edit: Oh! Tuesday Night Wars. No wonder). Also, I am stoked about Rampage going back to apparently random WAR-style match-ups this week. Timeless Toni should team up with Limitless Lee. She is (obviously) doing such great character work now, in promos and in the ring. The guy in the King Switch shirt chanting along with "Talentless Taint" also got a legit lol outa me. I LOVE tofu. Atsu age, wakame dofu, tamago dofu, yuba, and kitsune style in particular. I think I like tofu more than I like Jay White, and I have nothing against Jay White. I thought the Codebreaker into The One Winged Angel was a great team finisher. Add it to Fight Forever! Prove the game hasn't been abandoned yet! I wanna smoke cigars and drink whiskey with Samoa Joe. "Titty Slap! Look at those titties... And then: GO FUCK YOURSELF." I got endless Beavis and Butthead level amusement from Dynamite on FITE today. TV watchers are straight missing out. Unless they are either easily offended or too sophisticated to appreciate that kind of nonsense. I am neither, so I was delighted. Twelfth: How about COD as a team name for Christian, Orphan, Dinosaur?

Turns out the masked ninjas are Punk, Cody, and Jade "invading" AEW. Subsequent Dynamite, the Brand New World Order are beating down Kenny, Kingston, and/or Dragon in the ring. JR: Bah gawd! That's... That's MJF's music! Ex and Tony react with undisguised delight as Friedman makes his way to the ring, putting on the Dynamite Diamond Ring while the BNWO bails out. MJF pucks up (Omega, Mad King, or Danielson)... and decks them. JR: Bah gawd! IMJF! MJF has betrayed AEW! MJF is the 4th member of the BNWO! *and that, my grandchildren, is when Papa Gordlow stopped watching pro wrestling forever*

Chilly McFreeze

I am Sampsan

Brian Cage just keeps getting more jacked every time we see him. It's amazing. At this point, he's thicker than he is tall. So, I'd like to suggest a new nickname for him. (Edit: also: Steiner math!)

Dragon's last match: Regal (Oops. Wrong thread).

I'm still on hiatus from these boards, but this is (to me anyway) too good not to share. Three wrestlers from Nepal: Himalayan Tiger, the first Nepalese pro wrestler, Unika, the first female wrestler from Nepal,and the staggeringly gorgeous Jureli, came to Osaka for the first time today. Cooger hosted the welcome party, and I along with my friends Kenji, Ji-sama, and Bodyguard,(and indy wrestler Moriya, from FUCK and AJPW and etc etc) were on the welcoming committee. It was fucking amazing. Cooger's friends and the Osaka Nepalese community coming together. Tiger, Unika, and Jureli are big celebrities in Nepal but they are totally down to earth and I think it was mind-blowing for the Nepalese folks to just hang with them at a rooftop BBQ party. For my part, I bonded hard with Unika and Jureli. I hung out speaking English and Japanese with the Osaka natives and Nepalese immigrants. I had the time of my fucking life. How I wish DEAN were still with us. I bet he knew who these wrestlers are! If there's anywhere in the world where someone might know, it's surely here... *puts up the secunda caida signal* Gonna post, like, 20 pictures. Hang on, it'll take a while.

You guys wanna hear Bodyguard singing his AJPW entrance theme? Of course you do! Do you wanna hear Bodyguard and Gordlow duetting (badly) on Terry Funk's theme? Well, too bad. I'm gonna post that, too. Went to the Bodybar a couple of weeks ago with my good friend (also Canadian, now living in the Tokyo area) who used to post here as The Cobra 2. Had a GREAT time. This is another "goodbye for now" post from me. Partly I am busy with other stuff. Partly I have grown terribly weary of the bad faith posters and arguments about meaningless rumours more or less dominating the discussion here these days. Ignore function doesn't help when too many people keep taking the bait. It's actually affecting my ability to enjoy wrestling to the fullest. (as opposed to helping me enjoy wrestling more, which is what I usually get out of the DVDVR boards). Congrats, Bad Faith Army! You've managed to (indirectly) troll Gordlow off the board, temporarily at least. Know that I love discussing wrestling and sharing laughs with the big handful of you who still post here in good faith. Know that I am sorry to miss out on Secret Santo. I'll continue to lurk, casually. I'll see ya when I see ya. Gonna post a couple of pictures here (in this post) too when I have time. Let somebody love you, before it's too late.

Does my heart good to see Billyken Kid doing charity work for kids with pixelated faces.