Gordi the former AEW fan

I loved Bryan vs MiSu. Right up there with WALTER vs Dragunov and Ishii vs Moose in my personal MOTY list. For me, the best thing was that the crowd was not hot at all for the two opening matches (even though Fish v Moriarty was excellent and the always-wonderful Tay Conti was in the opener) but then Danielson and Suzuki drew them in 100 percent using only strike exchanges, mat work, and character work. I love that the knuckle-lock got a "this is awesome!" chant. I get that there are people who are philosophically opposed to strike exchanges on principle… but THAT is how they should be done. They were obviously dancing the dance and responding to the crowd, and they really worked those exchanges for all they were worth. Real, actual, pro wrestling in action right there. Loved it. Really enjoyed Sydal vs Punk and Bunny vs Soho as well. My nitpick of the week is that they followed up a “skin of his teeth” match with a “skin of her teeth match” which is a pretty minor nit. Safe to say the ring rust is off of Punk now? Bunny is a really good heel. It was funny that the worst aspect of Dos Santos in the ring was his punches. Presumably, he was being too careful to avoid actually hurting Jericho. I popped for how happy he looked just before hitting the powerslam. I’m still enjoying the ATT stuff, and the sing alongs… I think if someone doesn’t enjoy Lambert’s angry grandpa act, there’s a pretty good chance that they are an angry pro wrestling grandpa. Awesome two hours of pro wrestling action. Maybe the best thing, as @Matt D pointed out above, is how Suzuki drew something out of Bryan that we haven’t seen from him recently. That was great.

If you look really carefully, there are also birds, possibly seagulls, in that picture.

Who can win, and how, per NJPW1972

Lawful Good Heel vs Chaotic Evil Face (or even lawful good character who gets heel reactions vs chaotic evil character who gets cheers) is a genuinely fun pro wrestling idea, regardless of what the original intentions might have been. If this was the intention all along, it's straight-up genius.

I thought I'd be back to regular "full-time" posting by now, but it turns out that I'm still pretty darned busy (with good things). I have A LOT of thoughts about what's been going on in AEW recently (and y'all can probably guess most of them, and a lot of people here have already shared very similar thoughts on the various AEW threads). One thing that really caught my eye, that I don't think was discussed here, was this interview on BR with Bryan Danielson, conducted by Chris Mueller. In particular, this lengthy quote: "One of the things that I've really worked on is trying to desire less and less," he said. "I feel like, and this is more of like a minimalist philosophy, but the less things that you want, your overall well-being is better, right? So, if I don't want a nice car, I don't desire a nice car, it doesn't bother me that I don't have a nice car, right? "I think that that comes from growing up poor and trying to focus on being thankful for what I have, which is something that my mom was always really great with us. And that's kind of expanded into my 20s when you get more into the Eastern philosophies and all that kind of stuff. So when it comes to it, it was hard, because with WWE, they want you to be very goal-driven. "All those the media interviews, if you don't say you want to main-event WrestleMania, then they're like, 'Oh, he doesn't have any drive, or he doesn't have any ambition,' which I don't [laughs]. But sometimes you just have to lie to please demand. My overall goal is just having fun and being satisfied with awesome people. "There's a part from the Tao Te Ching that really spoke to me. It's something about real happiness is living right next door to another country and having no desire to go there. Because you're so happy where you're at, you know what I mean? But I am an adventurer and kind of an explorer, so I like seeing different things. And one of the reasons why I came to AEW is the curiosity. "There's no desire for any sort of external expectations. As far as what's going to happen [in AEW], I'm going with an open mind and an attitude of trying to be the best wrestler I can be. And that's always been a focus. I think one of the cool things about wrestling is that if you really focus on it, and don't worry about the politics and anything else, you focus on just becoming a better pro wrestler." I recently read Yes!: My Improbable Journey to the Main Event of WrestleMania (by Daniel Bryan) and the parts written by Bryan consistently reflect this set of values (while the parts heinously over-written by Craig Tello don't seem to have any grasp of those concepts at all). I also had the distinct pleasure of sitting at the same table/being in the same room with Bryan several times in the mid-90s when he made frequent trips up to work for ECCW in Vancouver, and I had some close friends working there. Based on my observations and interactions, this is very much the real Bryan Danielson talking genuinely here. Of course, he's a husband and father now, with new and different responsibilities, so how has that changed him? from the same interview: "When I say the base, like the home base in the back of my mind like as I'm doing other things, say, as I'm gardening, it would always just kind of go back to pro wrestling. And that's been since I was a kid, it was my default thing to think about. "And now that's not the case. It's weird how your brain can be rewired so quickly to be like, 'Oh, my default setting is not thinking about what I say, my default setting is thinking about my kids.' And I think any parent knows once you have kids, you realize how selfish you were before you had kids. I feel I'm a lot less selfish now." There's a lot more interesting stuff in that interview, including his thoughts about WWE and AEW. It's more than worth reading in full. You have probably already guessed why I pulled the above quote, though. Aside from how what Bryan says relates to a lot of our AEW navel-gazing on these threads, I just think it's excellent life advice, in general: Focus on growth and self-improvement, and set aside your desires for material success... ironically, that can be a real recipe for genuine success. And I love how it contradicts grumpy JR's oft-repeated assertion that people are only in pro wrestling for the money. I legit believe that Bryan would fight Minoru Suzuki for free, it it was either that or never have the match. One last thing. Bryan on his AEW debut: "A lot of times before a big thing, I also try to focus on my gratitude on things. It was like an incredible sensory experience that, if I close my eyes right now, I can think about it and feel it again." Here's a man who has found, and figured out ow to use, the keys to happiness and fulfillment. I'm sure I'm not alone in feeling really happy for him.

I know some folks think it's trite to feel/say this, but: If we are really headed into a new era of "competition is good for the business" then this legit might be The Best Time to be a Pro Wrestling Fan. Even if all we get out of it is Bryan vs MiSu on YouTube for free... Good Lord! What a dream match! And Fish v Moriarty ain't exactly chopped liver. Too bad guys on a Greggulator level of "casualness" don't know/care who Suzuki is ? but I guess they can watch SmackDown anyway so as fans we are all winners here. Not directly related to AEW, but connected to "TBT to be a PWF" I've seen discussion elsewhere: Is GCW now the #3 promotion in America? Impact, ROH, and MLW all have TV, and Impact has a big name, and ROH has that legacy of great matches (and MLW has Jacob Fatu...) But could any of them run Hammerstein? I honestly think GCW puts more butts in seats than any of them. It's partly due to the new era of inter-promotional cooperation... and partly due to GCW listening to, understanding, and respecting their fans... which does tie this neatly back into Tony Khan's way of running things (and to this being The Best Time etc).

I said, "You fu@$in' die." No, I-- we were just goofin' around No, no. It didn't have anything to do with anything She said, "Don't tou- anybody touches my stuff..." And I said, "You fu@$in' die," like that I was finishing her part for her You know what I mean? (I really wanted to make a "It's a song about a Surfer. Named Rosa. Like, Rosa is her name. And she surfs. So she is a Surfer named Rosa. I think it's called 'The Song That Couldn't Slow Down'." joke... but the song is called "Oh My Golly" and the song "Vamos (Surfer Rosa)" is not about a Surfer named Rosa). (It seems to be about a maid named Maria).

I have been watching some of their shows recently, thanks to the enthusiasm of a couple of members of the group of online friends that I chat with during AEW and New Japan shows. They constantly over-deliver. Very much like AEW, they seem to really get their fan base, and make a real effort to keep them happy. Their show yesterday had a few huge surprises (like the one during the scramble match, or the one after the 6-man tag) that massively popped the crowd (and me watching at home, and the dudes I was chatting online with). They had a comedian (jRon Funchess?) wrestle on a recent show, and built a damned entertaining match around him. They are about more than the death match stuff. You get go-go-go spotfests, technical wrestling, comedy, story-telling, David v Goliath... That being said, Nick Gage is over like Lawler in Memphis. And the death match stuff is not for the squeamish. Death Match King Matt Cardona is the perfect post-modern heel. I love GCW crowds Definitely worth checking out a show, if anyone is on the fence about it.

You did that TWICE?

It's not exactly an answer to your question, but I always got a hug kick out of Krusher Kruschev not even trying to fake a Russian accent. I used to be able to get a laugh by explaining that it was because he's from Soviet Georgia.

Loved seeing the Anaconda Vice as the finisher. Laughed out loud when the announcers started out the show with a "What a great time to be a wrestling fan/The best time!" exchange. I concur! Nitpick of the week: Rush's new gimmick is not distinct enough from Big Money Matt. G1 less than 5 hours away! I love days like these.

Thanks, Matt! Happy birthday to you, too, Sharty! Nah. Got some Mozart merch, though. Birthdays generally aren't as big a deal in Japan as they are in the West.

@Happ Hazzard also asked about this. I finally decided to try out Kindle and am well into a major wrestling bio binge. Scott Norton's book Strong Style gets my highest possible recommendation, particularly for anyone interested in 90s New Japan. He goes into tremendous detail and the tales of his time there are filled with great, funny, insane, interesting stories. Also I was very surprised to learn that the co-author is a very nice and very intelligent guy whom I've had the pleasure of drinking and watching wrestling with in Osaka: Adam Randis (who used to post here and there as Dynamic A back in the day). Adam does a great job of capturing Norton's voice and making everything flow. It's the only wrestling book Adam's done. He is a close friend of the Norton family. Seriously, no fooling: One of my all-time favourite pro wrestling books. Adam, Russell, Jonathan, Ebessan, D.J and I at Minami Move On Arena in Osaka in 2009

In fairness, this is the Turner Broadcasting System network logo:

Page? Jay White? Steen? Generico? Hero? Cottonbelly? I feel like Bryan and Kenny are the Jumbo and Tenryu of the 8-man tag, so I expect Kenny will avoid him for a while so the crowd can pop huge when they finally lock up. But it's AEW, not AJPW, so who knows how they'll play it? October 6th in America = October 7th here, so this Dynamite birthday celebration feels like it's for my birthday as well. Going for lunch with my wife as soon as the show is over. Not a bad way to start my 56th year!

Thanks. It's the 7th here in Japan, now, so technically you are not early. And it feels like I am sharingmy birthday celbration with Dynamite today ? By the way, did anything interesting happen in AEW while I was "on hiatus" in late August and early September?

You can have your Judas and your Tarzan Boy. For my money, this is the most fun AEW entrance theme to sing along with. C'mon! Everybody sing! NACHTLAAAAANNNNDDD!!! AAAANNNNGEEEEEETAST!!!!!!! HHHAAAAARRRRT SLLLLLAAAAGGGGG!!! SLLLLAAAAGGGG VVVEEEELLLLSSSTTTT! HAAARRRRRRRRT SLAAAAAAAAGG!! MIJNNNN KNOKKKKKKEENNNN GERBROOOOOOOOOKENNNN!! (Edit: One of the lines literally translates as "Spring is near" which, yeah, this song definitely gives off that feeling of Spring being near).

I loved the contrast between Bryan's no-nonsense style and Nick's all-nonsense style. Great stuff. Nice to see Orangey Boy showing some real fire on the mic! It got a bit dusty in here during the very last scene of the show. Immediately went and hugged my girls after seeing that. Show made me mark out, laugh out loud, and happy cry just a little bit. Can't ask for much more. Maybe a better finish to the three-way match... but nobody likes a nit-picker. Danielson in AEW has been everything I hoped for, already. Pro wrestling heaven.

I am The Body-Gord! (Most of those pics are 10-plus years old, though. Haven't been to Collega yet, due to the State of Emergency, and I guess my man's gonna be away on tour with DDT for a bit now...)

Did they edit this show with a blender? It's pretty much unwatchable. I'm tapping out already. Can't even enjoy this ironically, sadly.

I don't understand why Baybay thought he should go for a pinfall after a basic simple transition move like the Canadian Destroyer.

Happy birthday @Matt D!! (It's the 30th in Japan). So, it's like Miro and Sammy gave you a really nice birthday gift.

That was a GREAT two hours of pro wrestling. Amanda Huber Miro, and Sammy were the Hockey Night in Canada style three stars.

Reportedly, there is a "big unannounced match" planned for Rampage. Whatever it is, I wonder why they have chosen to keep it qwyatt...