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"SO YOU SEE, EVERYONE IN THE PITTSBURGH INDY SCENE HATES BRITT BAKER. SHE ALWAYS THOUGHT SHE WAS TOO GOOD FOR ME. NEVER SAYING HELLO TO ME AND HER OUTFITS AND WHAT NOT. I'M NOT SAYING THIS PERSONALLY, BUT I TOTALLY HEAR SHE SLEPT HER WAY TO THE TOP, BRO."

That's fucking awesome. MJF should have done that.

Hey! That was a good show. Lethal vs Wardlow was what it should have been. I question the wisdom of putting him against Satnam so soon, for both wrestlers' sake. Honestly, I would have done Joe vs Satnam first, or maybe even a series of those so that he could have learned from Joe, maybe? Match itself worked with Lethal getting a small advantage due to distraction but Wardlow quickly and definitively overcoming it. Really liked the women's match. Here, you built from the previous match on the show by having the distractions and interference be the difference in allowing Hayter to keep control through most of the match. I'd probably rather see Rosa work from underneath than control a match and she did a very good job here helping Hayter to look like a force, not that she needed much help. Baker was really annoying on the outside, but in a good way. If Hayter did break her nose on Rosa's shoulder coming down on the brainbuster, then amazing resilience in her finishing the match so strong. The finish was very believable just in the way it was caught on camera. That's a thing with the announcers all night. They did such a great job of logically connecting dots and taking visual possibilities and making them into logical reasons for things. Main really over-delivered for me. It got a ton of time but there was a real sense that Claudio knew what he had there and knew how to maximize it. Primarily the athleticism and size and heart and intensity of Takeshita. They worked together to give a very competitive "title match" opening with chain wrestling and counters that really played into these strengths. Then you had the backwork to help ground things and give the match meat and substance that a bomb-fest (which would play to Takeshita strengths in a different way) wouldn't have. To me, the best moment of the match was during the PiP when he fought so hard for a suplex that everyone knew was going to hurt him as well, that, at best, would only buy him a few seconds of respite at even a higher personal cost, but once he saw the opening and once he committed, he couldn't back down. It was a moral victory but a step towards losing the war, but it tells you so much about who Takeshita is as a character that he couldn't back down. He did a very solid job of giving little touches towards the back as the match went on but very believably leaning in to adrenaline as he was coming back.@Gordlowwill be glad to know that I'm ok with the strike exchanges/pop ups because they were 20 seconds in a long match, at a time and in a way that fit into the match. It was one-two spots each, and further what they were trying to do instead of becoming some sort of centerpiece or and end until itself. For something like that, it was very focused/controlled/conservative, and as such it worked as a tool. I probably would prefer them to have not done it, but it didn't bother me because it was very much one thing instead of a whole chapter which is usually the case. (It's not an automatic demerit or anything; it's about the context. It's just that usually the context still doesn't justify it in practice; this time, it came much closer than usual). And hey they went to the back again for the finish which felt appropriate. Mox vs Takeshita was very good but it was more about Takeshita passively having to be plugged Mox's formula and having to survive him through his own attributes. This was more about Claudio actively interfacing with Takeshita to create a match that brought both of their strengths to the forefront to create something even greater than the sum of the already impressive parts.

WOMEN OWE ME THINGS IF I PAY THEM MONEY.

Yeah, I'm thinking it's 40% COVID/Monkeypox safety, and 60% "Have you fucking BEEN on Twitter?!"

Probably still getting used to having two names again

Our view.

If I ever pay $130 dollars to meet someone at a convention, and I say this without shade for people who enjoy doing this sort of thing at conventions, please sit down and have a serious talk with me. I like to waste my money on things other than pictures with celebs, like Steam Decks or lottery tickets or stupid trinkets from tourist trap trinket shops. But if I did do this, and the female celeb was like, "please stand over there, dudes are weird sometimes, not saying you're weird, but no offense," I'd be like, "yeah" and stand my skinny little ass over wherever she was pointing because I'm not a stupid jackass. Well, not completely. On another note, once I went to a party and someone mentioned that they liked wrestling, and I didn't say anything, and then they said that they loved Bret Hart as a kid, and I was like I LOVED BRET HART AS A KID TOO and it didn't scare anyone away because we starting naming things we liked from childhood in general and everyone nearby joined in and it was a nice little trip down nostalgia lane. So you know, it's not ALL bad if it ever happens that pro wrestling comes up at a party. We didn't scare anyone away and I still ended up getting a phone number and a whole short-term fling with a nice young lady out of the whole experience even though I really just went with a friend who knew the people there and not in search of anything like that. One more reason the Hitman is the G.O.A.T. in my book.

AND THE THING ABOUT DR WAGNER JR IS…. *friends nodding while drinking from a red cup while one guy’s arm is folded shaking his head*

It's kind of funny that Britt's on air shot at Rosa is calling her a sandbagger. And then Rosa goes out there and sandbags a brainbuster so bad she breaks Hayter's nose with her knee. That was rough to watch. Props to Hayter to finishing that match with a crooked nose. I'm over Rosa. It's been all downhill since she got the title. I hadn't considered the four way match as the next PPV match but now that it's been mentioned that seems most likely. I'll take a win from any of the other three please. Also one of Takeshta's big false finishes was a brainbuster (that looked amazing). Why are AEW agents not talking to each other? With how important a role the brainbuster played for Takeshta, no reason the match going on before it should aslo have used the brainbuster for a false finish. Not sure how that got through. Or maybe AEW doesn't care as much about overlap like that? But that stood out as odd to me. Great main event tho. Especially that last 5-7 minutes of great near falls.

It's Claudio GOD DAMN Castagnoli. We'll all POP when he finally says it.

Just got back from the DPW show in Raleigh, NC. Man. What a great show. Real big crowd. Great energy the whole night. Main Event was Takeshita and Andrew Everett. They had a fantastic match. Takeshita is just a star! Rest of the card was great. Gringo Loco is super good. Dante Martin is Super good. Emi Sakura is so charismatic. The Workhorsemen are super good. Compared to PWX this was better than some of those shows I’ve been too. Anyone here at the show tonight ?

Sorry I'm late! Got a late start on the Xfinity race and the wife had to watch that punk, Ty Gibbs, get the checkered flag. THEN at 8:15, I realized that BOTB wasn't recording! So I missed the Wardlow/Lethal match. I did see the highlights of BEATDOWN! Looked like fun. JAMIE HAYTER! Is prolly losing to Thunder Rosa! Hayter attacks EARLY and Britt Baker DMD CHEATS! Baker is great at ringside. Hayter is beating the crap out of Thunder for a while. Thunder counters a SNAP Suplex on the floor with a DDT. Baker distracts Thunder Rosa and she bumps BIG to the floor. GAAH! Picture in picture! Rosa is just taking an ass beating to the delight of everyone on the Death Valley Driver Video Review Message Board. I am delighted because I dig Jamie Hayter on offense, not because I don't love Thunder Rosa. I love Thunder Rosa and I think she gets a lot of shit from internet rubes. Emi Sakura was talking about Thunder Rosa after the Miyu Yamashita match in that Thunder Rosa doesn't try to get over her own style in a match but tries to match the strength of her opponent- thus you had Rosa trading kicks with the best kicker in Tokyo Joshi Pro. Emi said that's why Rosa doesn't ever look as good as her opponent. Here, she will try to match stiffness with the stiffest worker in the Women's division. Rosa hits the Sarray Through the Ropes Dropkick. Crossbody for TWO! SWEET FUCKING BRAINBUSTER by Hayter! For TWO! Britt Baker grabs Rosa around the head while Hayter distracts the ref, making Toni Storm fend off Baker! Baker hits a great Superkick. Storm hits a DDT to the floor! Hayter is distracted by the shenanigans on the floor and Rosa does a series of roll-ups until finally pinning Hayter. That was good. Rosa is good selling a beating as a sympathetic babyface. Hayter is fucking awesome beating a mountain of heat onto a babyface. That was good. KONOSUKE TAKESHITA! CLAUDIO CASTIGNOLI! PRESENT BLACKPOOL COMBAT CLUB! FUTURE BLACKPOOL COMBAT CLUB! Oh man, this match is fucking awesome. They are going long and the crowd is going along with every step of the way. Claudio works the back and Takeshita sells it like a champ. Great Vertical Suplex by Claudio in picture in picture. Oh man, I can't wait for the INTERNATIONAL FEED to hear Regal go on about Claudio working on Takeshita. Takeshita hits an EVEREST VERTICAL SUPLEX while we await the little screen to become a big screen. Takeshita comes back with a Flying Lariat and then hits a Tope Con Hilo! MAGNIFICENT EVEREST GUTWRENCH SUPLEX TOPROPE! A GIANT SWING! Takeshita comes back with a BLUE THUNDER BOMB! Excalibur notes that Takeshita has a CINNABOMB! GREAT FUCKING NEARFALL after German Suplex and a Lariat and A GREAT LARIAT by TAKESHITA! Takeshita sells the Claudio Lariat like a fucking KING. KNEE STRIKE AND A FUCKING AWWWESOME BRAINBUSTER! For TWO! FUCKING GREAT NEARFALL ON A COUNTER TO A RICOLLA BOMB! DEATH VALLEY DRIVER BY CLAUDIO! This match is fucking GREAT. RICOLLA BOMB FOR THE WIN! That match was fucking GREAT. FUCKING GREAT. AEW RULES THE MOTHERFUCKING WORLD.

Am I the one who keeps thinking that's Maryse and Miz, even though I know it isn't.

I didn’t tape it, but I did get home from a party in time for the west coast feed (and recorded that as well). Really enjoyed it all, in different ways. I like that we got to see Wardlow sell a little and be hurt, I don’t want another Goldberg/Cargill. Not to mention it was 3 on 1 and he still got a convincing win. The pop for the eventual power bomb on Satnam is going to be massive. I saw some of what people say about Rosa moving slower, but I thought it was a good, stiff match with only a few minor hitches. I wanted Hayter to get the surprise win, and I think the course of the match made it so the crowd would’ve been good with it as well. But here’s the thing: we can gripe about Rosa being stale and out of sorts (she’s got a lot of tape on her lower back and side mostly hidden by her tights), but she gets a bigger reaction from the crowd than just about anyone in the division, especially kids, and sell merch. It’s still a business, and she does business. Also, Britt Baker calling her out for sandbagging is rich considering Baker mopes and drags her feet when she’s going to lose a match. The end of that match sets up some possibilities: Hayter arguably kicked out at 2.999. Hayter was distracted by Baker getting involved outside the ring. And then the main. MOTYC candidate. Crowd was super hot for both guys and they fed off that. I was chanting “fight forever” on the couch and gave them a standing O. I’m gonna miss Lard Lad, and while I think he’s going to be happy to be home for a while I’m pretty sure he’ll be looking for a long-term work visa. I’ve said it many times, as has @The Natural, but how in the hell was Cesario not a multiple time world champion in WWE? Looks, talent, build, maybe not the best talker but he has a natural charisma. Would be really neat if Soup’s last AEW match was against Danielson, after which he becomes the leader of BCC Japan.

Well, this is great.

My current navel gazing minor obsession is about one very specific thing I enjoy about AEW-style professional wrestling. It is about the idea that, even in the world (Universe?) of pro wrestling, friendship can be for real. I was already 20 years old, and attending University, when Paul Orndorff shockingly turned on Hulk Hogan, later to re-unite with Bobby Heenan and draw a huge crowd vs Hogan at "The Big Event" in Toronto. I was also shocked when Andre turned on Hogan, ripping the cross from his neck. And they went on to make history and draw a massive crowd etc etc. Hey! Remember the Barbershop Window Incident! That was shocking. And awesome. Don't think they made a ton of money off of Michaels vs Janetty per se, but heel Shawn worked out pretty well for the WWF, in my opinion. But eventually it just became this ultra-predictable trope. ZOMG! That one wrestler betrayed that other wrestler even though they were friends! It got to the point where you'd be, like, "Isn't it about time that (slightly better, larger, or more over member of the tag team) turns on (slightly less gifted, tall, and/or popular member)? It stopped being shocking and stopped being a way to draw a huge crowd a long time ago. It became just the standard way to move a story forward, turn someone, and/or set up some new matches. And here's where AEW can have some fun subverting the trope. Like, how Swerve and Lee are still together, and wearing championship belts. Like how Hungee and Hangm'n joked around about screwing each other over. Legit funny and legit heartwarming, in my opinion. And today. Battle of the Belts. I wasn't worried about Storm turning on Rosa. I knew she'd have her friend's back. And she totally did. Maybe it became such a predictable trope in the WWE Universe because the WWF made so much money from that kind of stuff back when I was in my early 20s and Vince was always hoping it would happen again. And also Vince has some kind of crazed notion about a strong man standing alone being the most heroic thing. I also pretty strongly suspect that at least part of the issue is that McMahon has spent literally years literally surrounded by lickspittles and yes men and has literally zero idea how actual friendship even works any more. It's likely been decades since the poor dude has experienced what it is like to have someone be nice to him without wanting something from him. Since he spent time with someone just because he enjoyed it, and wasn't surrounded by psychopathically ambitious people kissing his ass and telling him what he wants to hear. Could be completely wrong about that. Never met the guy. Can't necessarily believe everything you read about him. On the other hand, I find it easy to believe that Tony Khan, Matt and Nick, Kenny, Jericho, Bryan... Deeb, Bates, Rebel, Vickie, Regal, Luther, Shawn Dean... and etc etc involved in running AEW actually have lots of real-life friends and understand deeply how genuine friendship actually works. I've met some of them, seen how they interact with the people around them, read their books, listened to their interviews... I don't actually know any of them deeply, but I don't think it's crazy for me to think that they don't 100% buy into the "a strong man standing on his own is the most heroic" point of view. They probably watched,understood, and enjoyed Guardians of the Galaxy, for example. Maybe shed an empathetic tear at "We are Groot." I think that movie would have baffled Vincent K. McMahon. Distasteful speculation aside, a thing I love about AEW is that the good guys (and ladies) are allowed to have friends there, and the friendship is allowed to be real. As a guy who is lucky enough to have a lot of friends who I trust and enjoy spending time with, whose backs I have, from whom I want nothing more than enjoyable companionship or conversation - though I often get much more - I am delighted that there is a pro wrestling company that reflects those values (in fact, more than one, but Japanese factions are a whole other topic). I also love having friends I can enjoy that shit with!

How WWE never put a world championship on Claudio Castagnoli, TAFKA Cesaro will forever be beyond me. Stupid senile old man.

Hayter and Rosa ruled. Hayter is one of the best at putting little character moments in, to fill in gaps in the action. I worry that they don't see her as anything more than a heater, but she absolutely should get the belt

I also blame my wife when mentioning shows I’m embarrassed to love.

Speaking of mediocre filmmaking… my film, Ode to the Whale of Christ, is going to be screening in Minneapolis (at the Trylon Cinema) on October 8th. After so many screenings being postponed due to the pandemic, I’m pretty excited to have it playing in a US theater. Shameless plug Derp.

Was Lex named Luger because he brought the “guns” *does double bicep pose and immediately leaves room*

Or maybe dudes can try showering regularly and not being creepy. No one is making these dudes spend money on a picture. If they don't like the rule, they can not spend the money. Imagine complaining about spending over a hundred bucks on a picture and not being able to stand next to the person you're in the picture with, but paying it anyway because you're so thirsty. Pathetic.

I do, too. You can use it to make cars! I enjoy driving cars. Re: Sasha, has anyone met some of these wrestling fans at conventions? Even if there wasn't a pandemic, it might be a good idea to make them stand as far away from you as possible, considering a) hygiene and b) dudes be gropin'.

That’s been a problem since AEW started. Remember a year or so ago when like, 75% of the matches on the show had a poison rana in them?

Sounding awfully close to ranting about Tay sitting on Sammy's lap, and various Britt Baker-ings. Be careful dude, you're blowing your cover lol.

Takeshita vs Claudio was just awesome! Definitely the best match on any of the Battle of the Belts specials so far. I’d say last night was probably the best overall BotB episode they’ve done.

On the subject of video packages; Debut's have been a bit tricky for this company but I felt MONCE was handled perfectly. A quick highlight of him winning the bunkhouse stampede to show why he's getting the shot at MOX and a brief promo to let us know who he is. I feel this could be a winning formula for bringing in new folks

Fitting timing with us talking about this.

I like metal.

Fucking fantastic! I think Dean nailed Claudio-Takeshita right here... Further, this Emi Sakura Thunder report explains Rosa's game pretty damn well. And reasons why there's such clear inconsistencies from match to match... ... and I think why this match worked so well. Rosa was great here. Loved the beating she took that she sold 'like a champ'. Loved that dropkick she threw to Hayter into the ropes. And Hayter absolutely brought the game we all so admire. Such a great assbeater! I had no illusions to who was winning, so felt no disappointment when Jamie crushed her head into the mat on that finish for the Rosa win. As far as Jamie wearing a belt - I really don't mind exercising some patience for that inevitable title victory. This isn't a company that ignores it's fanbase. Also, I'm more in want of a Baker-Hayter tag title run. Toni on top. Goddamn was that opener ever a ton of fun. That's how you work a Wardlow bout over 5 minutes without killing his steam. Jay Lethal is incredibly underrated. Excalibur claimed Lethal to be one of the most intelligent wrestlers at the beginning of this contest, and Jay did nothing but prove that. And threw one of the slickest tope's to the floor I've ever seen. The escapes from the powerbomb, the terrific interference Satnam and Sonjay ran, this was perfect. So too the post-match beatdown. But one does wonder why Orange and the Besties didn't repay the favour extended by Wardy over the past few weeks. That said, no complaints. The OC-Wardy match was fun, but Jay Lethal just taught the heel roster how to have an excellent non-squash 'Wardlow' match. Highlight of the night was Claudio catching Takeshita in the DVD, but there's gotta be at least 5 other spots that were just as excellent. Perhaps it's my reaction to that earlier posted clip of Regal shaking young Takeshita's hand, but I'm really hoping 'the Club is open' for the young star from the DDT. AEfuckinDUB!

William Regal approval. 'Nuff said.

Maybe, but I'm not sure too many people decided to check out wrestling because one guy smelled old man stink

This is kind of a bummer. it's interesting that you were just getting back into wrestling after a hiatus here, because I was just about to drop entirely out of watching current American pro wrestling at this point. Because this is right around where I started to straight up hate the WWE and Sports Entertainment. So, kind of a bummer. It's not just that I don't have warm nostalgic feelings for this era. It's that it brings back unpleasant feelings and memories. Which is why I literally said, "Please please please no sports entertainment." I really like Tajiri, though. I met him once . He spoke to me in English. I spoke to him in Japanese. Everyone in Cowboy Steakhouse was staring at us. I wondered why, then realised that a white guy speaking Japanese and a Japanese guy speaking English must seem pretty strange. So, this pick also brought back a happy memory. So, thanks for that. But please please please please please if anyone else gets matched up with me: I do not wanna watch any WWE. Or NXT. Old WWF or WWWF is,OK, I guess, but there is a whole world of pro wrestling out there, and a whole rich history, and I pertmuch prefer any other aspect of it to Sports Entertainment. Which I fucking hate. I did a whole long post on the first page listing all kinds of other things I like. Anyway.. at least this match was short. I watched it twice. It's pre-Dunn swooshing cameras era, so that makes it watchable. The commentary is not my cup of tea, but not yet corporate speak so that is bearable. The crowd noise is weirdly washed out, which beats duelling chants that don't react or relate to the acton in the ring. 2004 Heat is much more watchable than 2021 Raw, in my opinion. There's not much in the match itself for me to hang my hat on. Christian does a good job, as always, playing the cowardly, sneaky heel. He's great. Tajiri is springy and quick and semi-hemi-demi-stiff and I always like him but prefer the un-neutered version. Rhino and Tomko facing off gives a kind of Jeff Cobb vs Lance Archer vibe. A shorter stockier power guy vs a big tall mean guy. Neither one afraid of the other. They do a fairly OK job of playing that out, I guess. I can't help thinking about how much more awesome Cobb vs Archer would be, though. basically everyone gets a bit of their shit in and when it's time to go home the big men tumble out of the ring, Tajiri misses a buzzsaw kick on Christian then eats an unprettier and the pin. Fuck sports entertainment. Christian and Tajiri are great, though. For all my bitching (and I have done a lot of it) there are worse ways to kill 20 minutes than watchin watching them fight twice.

ANTONIO INOKI vs ERNIE LADD- 3/21/1974- 2/3 FALLS- Cleveland, OH: This was two months past the Ox Baker/Ernie Ladd riot in Cleveland, so I'm guessing Ladd was still a babyface. Ladd is more fun as a gigantic bumping heel, but let us watch, shall we? Inoki is sporting manly mutton chops that lured the ladies of Cleveland into his erotic web. Inoki looks like he pulled up to the auditorium in a purple Challenger with Nazareth pumping out of the speakers. Ladd looks sleek and athletic, a look that he would no longer have when I first saw him when he came to the Mid-South Arkansas territory four years after this. I think his knees gave out between this and then. Inoki is 6'3" but Ladd, at 6'9", towers over him. Being the 1970s, they start off with an extended head scissors section. Ladd is big and athletic so it looks like it would suck to be in his vice. Oh, this match is awesome. Inoki goes total heel by being a dick in the breaks. Oh man, this goes straight from RESPECT and SPORTSMANSHIP to Mance Warner vs Jon Moxley. Huh, according to cagematch.net, Inoki had been wrestling 14 years and Ladd had been wrestling 10 years when this took place. Anyway, they go back to headscissors, but it's a more angry headscissors. Inoki tries to apply an Indian Death Lock and they OPT to start punching each other in the face. Yeah, this rules. Inoki keeps getting Ladd in these pinning situations but Ladd is too powerful and he kicks out with authority. Inoki finally gets Ladd in a head scissors that functions as a Sleeper Hold and Ladd gets his hand up the third time and then gets his shoulder up when he appears to have passed out with his shoulders on the mat. I don't think I've ever seen a head scissors worked like that. I'm sure if Gordon Solie was commentating, he would explain how Inoki is putting pressure on the Carotid artery by placing his shin across Ladd's throat or something. So yeah, it's a variation on the head scissors, but it's still a head scissors. I will quit obsessing on it now. They keep at it until Ladd gets to his feet and invents the gentlest version of the Buckle Bomb. I see where Dusty got his schtick for fighting out of the Sleeper, it was how Ernie Ladd fought out of the Head Scissors against Antonio Inoki. Inoki hits a SWEET dropkick and then they are bouncing around the ring and they slam into each other and neither can answer the count- so I think that makes it one fall for each. They start the third (?) fall with a Ernie Ladd Body Vice and I like the simple story they are telling- Inoki will slaughter you with a head scissors. Ernie Ladd will slaughter you with a Body Scissors. It's like they took the first two minutes of the Claudio Castagnoli/Konosuke Takeshita match and went 28 minutes with it. I don't know if the Grand Rapids crowd would stick with it like the crowd in Cleveland does. At exactly 20 minutes in, Ladd hits the first bodyslam. And then he hits another. This is like Claudio hitting that Everest Gut Wrench Suplex off the top- in that it signals that the big stuff is about to hit. Inoki counters his third bodyslam attempt with a roll-up FOR TWO! This is Takeshita counter the Riccola Bomb with a rana and a roll-up. This match is very much the 1974 version of Takeshita vs Claudio. Ernie Ladd is the dominatingly strong and athletic wrestler in his home ring. Inoki is the flashy Japanese guy visiting the US. Inoki applies a Lucha version of a Bow and Arrow and that had to look like Skytwister Press in 1974. Inoki lands a Flying Head Scissors and we are back to the Sleeper Idea. Ladd threatens to punch Inoki in the face, but the referee talks Ladd out of it. Ladd finally gets to his feet and they start chopping each other and Ladd goes on offense, hitting two Irish Whips and the Big Boot! And Another Big Boot! And a flash pin! The Big Boot is Ernie Ladd's Riccola Bomb! Ernie Ladd retains the NWF championship that Inoki would win in December of 1974. That was just enough violence to take the edge all the Scientific Wrestling. That was good.

Wait a minute. If we jumble up the name Pedro is spells Do Pre. Hmmmm. Let’s work on that. Do pre. Dew Pree. Due Pree. Du Pree. Dupree. Dupree? Dupree! @Pedro is Rene Dupree.

I’m hoping they put up a sign that read “Have a photo taken with in the same room as Sasha Banks.”

Cinnabomb

New trainee named Yuma Anzai (23) will debut in AJPW at the budokan show. His size is 188 cm and his weight is 105 kg. N.Nomura has a super new move, Infinity (transformed face crush). Joe Doering is coming back.

Claudio is Barry Windham on the stick.

I wish the announcers had said that he didn't get all of it and that allowed CC to kick out. Speaking announcing we had the best three man booth discussion recently but was that the best FOUR man booth in the history of wrestling? I could listen to Man in the mask/ Mr. Maniac/ Mr. Regal and Caparice call every ROH/AEW show from here on out. Gonna tell the kids that main was Flair Steamboat 89 and the womens match was just two dames just beating the everloving FUCK out of each other. I bit on some near falls in both matches. And felt the finishes kept the challengers looking strong

Oh we're going over old grudges? Well fuck John Elway, horse faced motherfucker.

ROAD REPORT - NOW UN-REDACTED BATTLE OF THE BELTS EDITION I was glad to see my prediction of the match order was right, I didnt think they'd start with the womens and I knew TNT wasn't main eventing. Platinum Satnam is even bigger in person, second time seeing him it's just as crazy. Lethal has been studying his Zbyszko tapes with all that stalling. Wardlow rolling into that first powerbomb opportunity had the kid behind me screech with excitement and blow my eardrums out but you know what, it was really cool. Glad it only took one powerbomb to drop Lethal. Also glad we got a tease of a Platinum Powerbomb rather than busting it out now. Match should've been shorter and less competitive if they were ending with the post match beatdown. Women's match. We really wanted Hayter to win. She really brought her a-game and Britt did some great stooging. If Rebel (Not Reba) was a better wrestler, they'd be Lady Freebirds. I'm really over Rosa's reign here because this was the perfect chance to hotshot it. Main Event Time, despite the deflating Rosa win, we kept the energy up for Claudio/Takeshita. I was on the edge of my seat the whole match but felt it was a sure Claudio win until Takeshita's Ricola Bomb reversal, I've never been so worked by a match in my life. Both men brought their absolute best and I think it might've been the best ROH title match I've seen in person (even better than Danielson's win over Gibson).

Predictable results (was really hoping for a “shock” Hayter win) but amazing wrestling tonight. Lethal really got me when he collapsed in the ring, that was some fucking food selling/acting from him, I really though his knee was messed up. Main event was a proper MOTYC, I was 99.99% sure Claudio was winning but I really bit on a couple of near falls from Takeshita, specially the Knee/Brainbuster combo and the Helluva Kick/Blue Thunder Bomb. I love how El Generico is part of the AEW / Indy lore in this universe.

What a fucking match. MOTYC.

The trauma of being involved in the WrestleRock Rumble strongly influenced young Curt Hennig's muslcal tastes.

Don’t know where else to put this, but it’s struck me a few times that Austin Gunn is a Memphis Wrestler trapped in 2020’s wrestling. His look size and wrestling style would fit right in with Lawler, Dundee, Jarrett, Brian Christopher et al. I’ve loved the Gunn Club v Acclaimed feud.