SovietShooter

Thekla/Aminata was when I was starting to transition to getting ready for bed, so I didn't have my full attention on it; I will have to rewatch it today, with an eye towards how they were working together. But, I will say that all the matches between Aminata and Julia Hart a few months ago were stiff as hell. In fact, IIRC, Julia got her nose busted in like two of those. I seem to remember her busting open Sky Blue's nose or something too around that same time. So, maybe Aminata is just a crowbar folks don't like working with, and that's why she isn't getting a push?

Just to chime in a bit on the "Mistico declining" talk ... The match last night was his 90th of 2025, according to the lucha database. Dude is 42 and has been wrestling for 25 years, and for many of those years was doing 250+ matches a year (db shows he has had almost 3400 known matches). So keep in mind, his contemporaries are guys like Orton, Balor, etc. Dude is certainly declining a bit no doubt, but he is also probably "managing his minutes" a bit to keep up his insane schedule

I'd assume someone from CMLL that would make him look good. Man, I'd love a Mistico/Mortos match, but that is probably too Rush-adjacent for CMLL.

Art Barr's last match in AAA (and ever) was the apuesta tag match at When Worlds Collide.

I agree with this, but I can see the idea of getting away with a bullshit finish to Mox/Page, if they can do a schmozz that still sends the fans home happy. I can see a bullshit finish that leads to the lights going out and Darby dropping from the ceilng to point a baseball bat at Mox, making his return to AEW as just such an idea. I think that will go over very poorly, but I can see it.

I'm pretty sure they did it with one of those Battle of the Belts shows. I want to say when Scorpio Sky win the TNT title, maybe?

Maybe the man-beast gets his payoffs in gold-pressed Latnum?

Dark Order. Dalton Hardcastle. Danhausen. Outrunners are kinda drifting right now. Mark Sterling isn't on TV enough. Nyla Rose (kinda).

Just go into the settings for Dynamite, and extend the record time by a couple hours.

Back when I was working, someone pointed out to me that Flair does the figure four on the wrong leg, and I can't unsee it. I mean, look at an actual figure four: 4 The left leg should be on the bottom, and getting the pressure applied. Flair and everyone else that learned it by watching him over the years does it on the wrong leg!

I would would think that with the acquisition lot AAA, Rey is probably safe, as they are probably going to need him from a promotional perspective. Rey working around the horn in Mexico would draw really well. Acquiring AAA and then releasing Rey would be mind numbingly dumb, and AEW would snatch him up in a heartbeat. Probably depends on the margins in how much the deal pays, versus the revenue it generates from merchandise & licensing; A formula in a ledger somewhere.

The only time "escape the cage" makes sense in when the last guy in the cage loses their mask/hair/etc.

Well, take the Panama Sunrise for example. It sucks as a regular offensive move for a guy his size. But, what if a bigger guys had him in the corner and tried to superplex him or something, and Cole pushes them down, and then hit it in desperation? Then you have a big double-down afterward. Just little things like that are what he is missing.

I hate this. I hate anytime a gimmick/stipulation match is announced, and then they do everything to get out of doing the gimmick. Cage matches are the perfect example - the whole point is they are trapped in the cage! If people can just leave (or enter!) at will, what is the actual point? If it is a no DQ match, they should immediately be doing things that in a normal match would get them DQd, because they can! If it is a ladder match, the match should be built around climbing the ladder to get the belt, not jumping off stuff. With that said, a complete tangent... I was listening to RVD's podcast about Sabu, and he was talking about how Sabu didn't like to stash weapons under the ring that didn't make sense to be there, he wanted to use things that made sense to be at ringside/under the ring - tables, chairs, tools, etc. Like, why would there be a bag of thumbtacks under the ring? It made me think about how I want to see a match where the wrestlers break a table, and then as the match goes on, use the pieces of the table as weapons. Like, bring a big broke piece of wood in the ring and slam them on it, or try to hit them with the metal frame or choke them with the legs.

Just recently someone on here (I think) wrote something akin to "Adam Cole is 5ft 8 and wrestles like he is 6ft 4", and I think that hits the nail on the head. He doesn't really get to that next level as a Babyface because he doesn't play a good face in peril. He does a good promo as a heel, but he is too small to be an intimidating figure. His tag team with MJF worked, and was legitimately over as hell. They main evented the biggest rawing show of all time. It worked because as a team they had some ol' fashioned Memphis schtick, and Cole was forced to play Ricky Morton while MJF waited for the hot tag. If they had kept that team going and not had the injury/turn, but just kept pushing them, they would be a main event act. BTYB vs FTR or Bucks would've been a license to print money.

According to what Credible said in a shoot video that I have somewhere on VHS, creative found out he was of Portuguese descent, and "Aldo Montoya" was originally supposed to be a soccer player.

You can have your Sandman entrance...I just want to see Rhino Gore Lori Fullington thru a table one more time.

Phi Kappa Thetic

At first I thought Harley getting busted open on the steps was a work... as soon as she hit Doc Sampson ran over with a towel, and then she came up with a mouthful of blood. But it really looked like she was having trouble breathing thru her nose at the end, so I guess it was legit...? Looked like Anna came down wonky on the F5 in the chair too, and she was basically out of the match at that point.

Whatever happened to the Bear Country guy that didn't get arrested for domestic violence (Bronson?)? Is he being used on ROH or anything?

Mauro and Bas in Pride were awesome.

Admittedly, I do not pay attention to every corner of the wrestling world like I used to, but I like to think I kinda keep up with some things outside of what I regularly watch. I wasn't familiar with Thekla at all up until recently when there was talk of her leaving Stardom for AEW. I know AEW acknowledges things in the greater world, but I cannot imagine they would just have Thekla just waltz in and get title shots or a big feud. Even Bayne, who had a much bigger reputation coming in, worked a series of squashes and was built up before she got a title match. Maybe I'm wrong, but if the spider teaser graphic is for her, there needs to be a bit more to it if they're going to debut her as a major player.

The only logical explanation is that this is the start of a build to tag titles for the ladies. Anything else just doesn't make sense.

FWIW, VKM had no issues forcing Iron Sheik to become Colonel Mustafa during the Gulf War, so I can see anything being on the table to a certain extent. I think the real question is if Sheik would be interested if he couldn't be "The Sheik”? Maybe they compromise and he is something like the "Grand Sheik of Arabay" or something like that?

Back in the day, I had my fair share of creepy male fans that would send me msgs on AIM offering to purchase my used ring gear if I were to satisfy myself in it before I sent it out. I don't think this creepy behavior has anything to do with Covid lockdowns or anything, but I do think it has to do with the proliferation of the Internet and other platforms, where kids can just stay at home all day staring at a device, and not have to make friends, or deal with people making fun of them. I think we can all agree that "bullying" is wrong, but there is some value in kids making fun of kids doing weird shit, so that they stop doing weird shit.