NikoBaltimore

In a sane world Nia and Heyman would be gone. But this is how WWE is now. The fact that there's been no response from HHH or anybody else means they don't care what people think and are scrambling to remove the leaks so they can pretend it never happened. And no, I'm not counting whatever bullshit Heyman said on McAfee's show. They can both piss off for all I care.

As I indicated in Discord at the time I was in disbelief seeing Crowbar live. Even in more disbelief hearing people chanting so much for him whether it was ironic or not. Still need to see the episode though to hear the commentators reacting to it but it was a fun squash.

As soon as Phil hinted at it in the podcast thread I just had a feeling it was about Dean. Holy shit this is incredible. I know they're working out the details for the September show but having it in the ECW Arena feels right. I'll make a weekend out of it to do that then ROH.

Thanks. I didn't even know the plus version existed until a couple days ago. I like the idea of going sans cable but have used the regular app and signed in with my mom's Xfinity account all this time. So thankfully no issues here! But it doesn't surprise me that MASN had a clerical error like that. They fucking suck and I would love nothing more for the O's and Nats to get the fuck away from them.

Yoshihiko matches are a fun way to see how good a worker somebody is. It takes a lot of commitment to the bit to make it work and damnit Suzuki made it work. And if that didn't do it for ya there was Takeshita's fun match in the main event (sorry, blanking on his opponent's name)

Sorry, I skipped to near the end.

I appreciate the kind words. Was very lovely to read and thank you. I have my misgivings about Punk and don't disagree on some of the points you said. But I was mainly referring to what he apparently said in that instance and still feel the way I do. But I'm sure I'll be saying something like "dude, WTF?" not too long from now.

Posting on a platform where a guy like him runs it means can target people if they choose. There's still surveillance on Bluesky but at least it's not owned by a moron. People need to be careful about that they say on social media anymore but that's for another topic. But I'm not on Twitter anymore so hell if I know the full context. One company allowed him the freedom to express his views whereas the other is in good graces with somebody that can go after you if you breathe too hard. Punk has no obligation to say what he does or doesn't do and if people wish to keep it private with a good reason then so be it. There's a lot of valid things to get on Punk's case about but I don't see an issue with his actions or apparent non-actions. Times are tough and people need to be wiser with where and how they get their messages across. Also, I'm wary of saying how somebody is not doing enough especially since that didn't work out well in the Hot Takes thread. People are trying as best as they can and this doesn't help matters.

At this point they might as well bring T to the show to see how people respond. It's possible it won't have much effect but I would laugh if it ends up with enough of a backlash for them to take notice.

I still need to catch up on last week's Collision in full. But they mentioned that with Pac out Moxley is now the interim trios champion and is there to defend the titles. There might be a little bit of wiggle room but it sounded to me like they're trying to prevent something like this from happening. Plus, I would think/hope TK wouldn't be dumb enough to kill the crowd this way.

From the start of the season the coincidental comparisons between Fisk and let's just say somebody else were hard to ignore. I chalked it up to it being something Fisk would do and tried not to think much more about it. However... That said the Daredevil/Punisher team-up was super satisfying and Karen's return really made the show feel like the Daredevil I remember. I still miss Foggy but things are looking great for season two.

NGL I bought this with money my aunt gave me for Christmas. I don't regret buying it but only needed one play to realize I'm good and kept it around somewhere.

Well, you're certainly not wrong. I just thought it was interesting that there was collab merch between the game and AEW/Ospreay.

The preorder ends today apparently but I like the Ospreay x Assassin's Creed Shadows collab they had going on. https://www.shopaew.com/official-apparel/sweatshirts-jackets/limited-edition-will-ospreay-assassin-s-creed-shadows-x-aew-lightweight-jacket-double-sided-pre-orders-end-april-10th.html

I'm tempted to save this for tomorrow but hey why not do a "Just got home and I'm kind of tired but kind of not" road report? As soon as I clocked out I hauled ass to a place my friend told me about that I always wanted to try. With it only being a few miles from the arena while a bunch of poor schmucks were eating concessions I was having what could be IMO the best cheesesteak in Maryland at Cheesesteak and Co. Holy bats it was so good! I prefer a toastier bread like Angelo's in Philly but they got me with the steak. So, so fucking good. And since I got it so quick I had time for Heavy Seas after all. I realized how much I missed going there and wish I took more advantage of it while I living in Baltimore. One pint of a lovely lager to drown the sorrows of the O's losing today and I was off to the show. Without realizing I got the same section/row that I got last time I went to the show. Which is great as with a wall behind me I could have stood the whole time if I wanted to. My biggest pet peeve with the Baltimore shows is that unless you're one of the first in line you're guaranteed to miss out the local shirt they were selling. This one had an Orioles vibe and I wanted it to bad but all they had was Large. And that sold out quickly as well. Why would you have such a limited amount of shirts and not at least advertise "Hey, get in line early to get one of these shirts!" It's so fucking dumb and I'm bummed they would leave money on the table by not making more. ROH: Dynamite time! The first half was so my shit. Shibata vs Mox might have had a weak sauce ending (Shibata should not be losing to a choke. Beatdown and Paradigm Shift sure, whatever) But it was still really fucking cool that I was getting this live. Bucks were whatever and Kenny's promo was fine for what it was. But when he gets in then you get Rainmaker and Swerve I pretty much lost my fucking mind. Make no mistake about it, Baltimore fucking LOVED Swerve. From where I was I didn't bother to do the dance but got an incredible video of everybody losing their minds. The match was fun though it really sucked about Pac. Hope he's okay but it was immediately apparent it was a match-ender when he went outside. Then we get my favorite MOTN in the 8-man tag. I had no idea it was coming but when they showed the graphic I was just delighted. They all come out and seeing all 8 made me go "Yeah, this is why I love AEW so fucking much." You had Ospreay, Knight and Ricochet in there, gnarly meaty men like Mortos and for good measure you had Briscoe and Cru who all had deep ties with Maryland. And yeah Speedball was great too but I wanted Briscoe to get the hot tag. But I get they held off as the point was to make Knight look good which he did, especially with that finish. Oh, and remember what I said about Swerve? Well the same can be said about Hurt Syndicate. They were over as a motherfucker and again the video of the crowd freaking out was aces. I hope it sounded good on TV because the crowd was hot live. I walked around for the Learning Tree stuff because fuuuuuuuuuuuuuck that noise. I did peek in though and saw the TV get smashed so that was fun. As for the main it was good but I was already getting ready for hopefully ROH stuff after Dynamite. The match ends, Joe's hanging around and Caster comes out doing his schtick. Joe basically headbutts him, does a muscle buster and after the "One more time!" chant does one more. I'm getting ready for some ROH goodness when Roberts essentially says "Thanks for coming out! Good night!" I was pretty disappointed yet with Rampage not being a thing can see why they would end it around 10:15. But still, I wanted more ROH and I am cool with Massachusetts yet am not driving all that way for a show. All in all I had a blast with the ROH stuff and first half being the best. If it felt flat to TV viewers I won't argue but it was really fun and there's something about the view I had seeing damn near the whole crowd flip out over certain things.

If you want an example of how these close-up videos are effective look no further than this one. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_-Rsp0aKbY Right, broken board means broken link so this is Kevin Knight sitting down with Renee after his Dynasty match. I didn't know much about him aside from being a fun wrestler who was in New Japan. But he's tons, tons more than that and this piece made me appreciate him a lot more. I'm curious how he'll be used in AEW but he seems pretty damn great to me.

Bowens on the press conference made it pretty clear he's done with Caster and is moving on. I can see Max having a crisis as the post-show YT exclusives had him barely hanging on after most losses. Who knows what comes out of it though. Also, fuck yeah for Bowens coming back. The guy is incredible and with how he is with the media my hope is the further he's pushed the more visible he becomes. Him at the conference showed it. Also on the conference TK explaining the main was some serious EWR shit. I kind of loved it to be honest.

I am happy to get Dynamite but am begging for a Collision on Saturday. I could have my wife and friends join, there's pre-gaming at Heavy Seas time permitting and we don't have to worry about work. I'm fine with going alone tonight but come on, TK! If I do get anything of note I'll let you know. If they're on the east coast already I'm hoping some of them show up.

Dolfan, we only know so much of either other and there's no way anybody would have known. But using "Hotel California" for a week where I'm going to Dynamite feels oddly fitting. It was my father-in-law's favorite song and still makes us pause when we hear it. You didn't know yet thanks anyway. I have a good feeling about the show. Got a fairly decent seat at a good price, there's some killer cheesesteak place I can't wait to get to and I took a half day tomorrow to sleep in a little. So I'm more than ready for some AEW and ROH goodness.

It's wild seeing the game fully stop like this. Even wilder the reception he's getting on an away game. You'd think it was all Caps fans. I like Ovi a lot and the Caps are pretty much the home team. So really happy to see him break the record.

Aw, man that sucks. I think the world of the guy and when thinking AEW he's one of the top names that comes to mind. It's a torn pec but hopefully he's not out too long.

This Wednesday coming up.

After thinking about it I'm passing on going to this and will do the Baltimore show instead. The card looks good but it doesn't have that exciting part to make me want to pay more than I should on tickets, merch and everything else. I know next week's Dynamite will be the after-effects of Dynasty but I'm sure we'll get Owen matches and it'll be tons cheaper. I'm good for now but hope they do another PPV relatively nearby in the future. Oh, and yes I'll have Dynasty on on Discord for those who want to hop in.

Despite my misgivings about WWE I have a soft spot for NXT. The crowd has its own identity which I love and will continue to love. They kind of remind me of TNA crowds from the first however many years when they would go nuts for damn near everything. But they rarely if ever become obnoxious to me as their excitement adds a lot to the presentation. Also, as an AEW die-hard I have been frustrated by a lack of Ricky for a long time and like Drew felt he deserved more. So I'm happy for him and and while it kind of stings in this case I can get on board with the "Tony fumbled" chant. That said to Gorman's point I wonder if they realize how nobody is being fooled by what WWE is trying to do here. It's gross and considering it's attacking a company that they feel is "beneath them" there's just no point to it all. I'm not implying that AEW is the little company that could or anything but regardless of who it's being done to I don't care for petty bullshit. Switching gears to that LFG show I found those online and kind of like it. They have some people I think will be bona fide stars though they're all green as a motherfucker. And yes Gunther shitting on 'Taker gave me a good chuckle as did seeing Bully's team having no points until this week.

I enjoyed the Mark Davis episode. Dude is very chill and up for anything RJ had in mind. https://youtu.be/y5FOuMpLfnc?feature=shared