Brandon Bones

My feeling on this NXT change is that it’s already snakebit. USA can’t be happy that this is where we are at concerning this weekly show they pay a pretty penny for. It’s really weird that the subtext meta version of backstage WWE now more frequently includes a narrative from the perspective of the network their shows are on. It didn’t used to be that way in the days of syndication and early ppv. I mean Smackdown has bounced around from numerous networks but there never was a real bidding/war pissing contest over it. Now they’re always in Vince’s ear about which show get which stars. I forget what my point was.

Gimme some views! Some muthafuckin views! Well… I brought back the friggin’ SLING app because I’m super geek psyched for All Out III. Here comes the Views. Sammy should just make this his entrance theme.

He’ll be back as soon as he hears the rumors that Anna Jay has returned.

I enjoyed this show a lot. Lots of good table setting for both the show on Friday and Sunday. I loved the tag opener and the Main Event. I’m constantly surprised by how much goodwill this company has and how just about everybody gets a nice pop for their entrance. That’s got to be seen as a good sign for the overall health of the company and its shows. They’ve even got me watching their b-shows at this point (now that they are happening in front of crowds). Bring on the PPV (hopefully I can find a way to watch it since my BR app has gone glitchy).

I just realized. I’m that guy.

Any word on the availability of the show? I was super bummed out that I couldn’t buy the show through my PlayStation last time.

Hey! Kazarian got a win! I kind of had a thought that the Lucha Bros. would walk away with it. Because even though JE had the more present issue. Death Triangle has something going on that I’m sure they’ll want to highlight at the PPV. I’m curious how the eventual heel turn on PAC will work out with the tag titles in the formula.

Awww shit. “Wild and Young” is coming back isn’t it? “Hey, rookie! Spin your head on this bat and show us how sports entertaining you can be!”

Statlander could stand to watch the movie “Starman” with Jeff Bridges and take her character cues from that performance. “Hey! I’m an alien fish out of water in human form!” “Red light mean, STOP. Green light mean GO. Yellow light mean… GO… very fast!” Now I need skits on DARK of The Best Friends teaching her how to drive.

And another unfortunately placed graphic makes Bryan look like he is out there stark nude. WHY DOES THIS KEEP HAPPENING?!?!?

I’m guessing the downshift to a lower gear this week is to protect the PPV buyrate. I see this kind of episode all the time in HBO shows (for example). This way a penultimate episode and finale will always appear as an upswing. Want to call it a “let me up episode”? That being said, this weeks Dynamite, taken on its own merits… not that great. Especially during an embarrassment of riches weekly episodes have often been. Still super fucking geeked for the ppv.

I’ll bet Edge got totally laid last night. Using your spouses finisher in a PPV match is totally foreplay in the Copeland household. Edge… Good for you bro.

Fuck yeah! Thats it. Just fuck yeah!

You’ll have a unique perspective on tonight then. I had missed out on his ROH stuff that preceded his entry into WWECW. I had heard of him in positive terms of course. But had no real connection until maybe his first two Money in the Bank matches at Mania. I’ll never forget the Cena match in Chicago. I admit. I’ll probably mark out tonight.

It just goes to reinforce that if you give Cole something good to work with. He’ll deliver good commentary. If he didn’t get saddled (while still green) with having to sell Mick Foleys first title win. Especially, when we wanted that moment to be in someone else’s voice. Cole would be much more highly thought of. He has a decent resume when you count up his moments.

I was really into mid to late aughts ROH. I came in right after Punk left. So I caught the train for the AmDrag title run. Nigel… Morishima… CZW and NOAH crossovers and the eventual rise of the ROH title to “World Title” status. But… ROH as well as it did, never really ascended much beyond those heights. It didn’t help that post Gabe booking never really did it for me. But that is beside the point I want to make. It’s just too bad that a “from scratch fed” like ROH never really had any long time veterans in the locker rooms. Some SOMEBODIES of name and note that had some level credit to spend in even passing a torch. William Regal would have been splendid. So I’m reminded after Dynamite this week of just how important having those people on-screen, interacting, and giving the rub really is. Something ROH didn’t have much of. Jericho tapping out to MJFs lukewarm arm bar pretty much solved the riddle on a hot heel whose finish wasn’t over. Sting being with Darby is inexplicable but entirely effective. These two really only have a visual connection but otherwise are chocolate and peanut butter. Together at last. Guys like Cena and Orton could have used a lot of this kind of help during their ascension. But again, staying on track. Meanwhile, I don’t really think Wight or Mark Henry are really contributing that much in this idea. Which is ok because they’re hardly getting in the way. Matt Hardy IS trying. The booking of AEW often reminds me of those awesome years of dvd era ROH (thanks megaupload). Only this time around the torches are happily being passed and bridging those generational gaps. I couldn’t be more thrilled.

Another great overall show that continues to keep me swept up. Does anyone else freak out over that Jurassic Express double team into the power bomb? That is a really crazy dangerous move without much margin for error. Anytime I see it-I’m like “Fuuuuuuuck”! Loved the crowd signing Judas exactly as planned. Jericho looked pleased as punch. The match was also a very good main event with a genuinely surprising finish. Not that MJF won. But a tap out victory over a big name star is cementing a young heels bonafides. It’s a solid build. I’m in the camp that the QT/Wight promo didn’t quite hit the mark in a show full of bullseyes. But I’m also kinda wondering what Wight has to do to shed his skin of WWE baggage. To me it’s pretty much THAT getting in the way of projecting the required cool factor AEW manages most of the time. One last thing I’d like to point to in appreciation. The large roster that AEW has and with the limited tv time they have available. They do a really good job rotating performers in and out so that week to week so the show doesn’t always look alike. It would be very easy to always have the biggest stars eating up all the time and end up stale from repetition. But this young company full of young talent does a great job of staying fresh. Keep dodging that bullet.

A better pace this week. So while the episode was swift it never seemed too fast. Loved the cool twists on familiar characters. What could have been for poor Nebula.

I have a feeling that once the deal was done for a second season. It probably changed what was given in this finale. So there’s going to be a longer arc. Honestly, for anyone who has watched these animated series. It can kind of feel like we’re back where we started. Kind of a tepid start where it’s unclear where things are going even if there are a boatload of unanswered questions. Who knew that Asoka was going to pay off as well as it did back in S1? But in both cases of the prior shows it EVENTUALLY got to where it was going. So I’m not too disappointed that the season finale wasn’t a blow away show. A couple more seasons in and it’ll be the hotness. We are in good hands. So maybe my Wild Bunch prediction will still pay off. ?

Retroactively that makes me a bit more forgiving of Jericho. I get that he wants to hype up the brand new show they are selling. Just play a few more notes is all and it smooths it out. For me at least.

I’m really not much for nostalgia. At least in terms of rewatching a lot of the stuff I saw growing up. Meanwhile I do have something of a thirst for stuff from the era I might have missed. So YouTube is ripe with boatloads of old house shows. Results may vary. But this might be one of the best in totality. It’s got a fantastic Valentine vs. Patterson match for the IC belt. Another Hogan/Orndorff pre-86 that’s pretty good. A fun angle where Tiger Chung Lee gets turned on by Fuji. Piper and Snuka right after the coconut incident. It features probably the best most hilarious ref bump ever. And lastly a great tag title match with Adonis and Murdoch vs. Brian Blair and Bob Backlund. You want this.

Omega vs. Andrade

I’ll posit the theory that this whole belt collector thing has gone as far as it can. In my infantile brain. I saw the path for Omega adding the New Japan title to the bunch with perhaps an empty challenge in the direction of WWE as it’s zenith. I would really hate to lose all that build up. But between Hangman’s family stuff and then awkward coordination of far too many other companies trying to do their own thing during a pandemic. I get it that perhaps it has gone as far as it can. At least if one must pivot. Pivot in the direction of Punk and Bryan. Someone else where on the board suggested an idea that Omega/Christian “over deliver”. At this point I’m thinking it going to be mandatory otherwise Christian is fucked in AEW. If he nails it at the level of his series with Orton. I’ll be satisfied. But he might have to exceed even that just to start relevant in an increasingly more crowded pool of stars. But hey! It’s Christian. He’s awesome.

That got a big pop from me brother brother brother. Yeah. That Christian vs Abyss cage match from (IIRC) the first episode on SPIKE impressed me.

I liked the first episode pretty much. I have a soft spot for Carter ever since I binged the network show off the recommendation from some of you here. But man it went by too fast to really let some of those good character moments really breathe. The twist of Steve’s injury not at all getting in the way of Peggy having feelings for him was so great. But man did a viewer barely have a chance to have it register.