This is the last MotD for 2022. Happy New Year everyone!
Taz: Here’s a factoid for ya. I got a boil on my ass.
Ex says “first foot knowledge” as a pun for “first hand knowledge” and Taz feigns ignorance.
The two root for Fuego Del Sol’s opponent after his smarmy promo.
Taz says Fuego’s mask is as difficult to remove as Iron Mike Sharpe’s cast.
Taz has heat with Daddy Magic being called a “color analyst.” Calls his tag partner “Hot Foot Ange.”
JT Davidson, manager of the Iron Savages, did not appear with them in the their match. Taz says he talked with a seminude Davidson at catering who said he was scouting other talent in Orlando. Who else is wrestling in Orlando besides us?
Calls Slim J’s attack “Running Sliced Challah Bread.” Ex tells him the C is silent. Taz then screams “Hollah!”
Taz was talking with Daivari backstage about a plug-in Rolls Royce. Ex invokes the “Yes, and?” improv cue, but Taz dissembles.
Dark Order’s Evil Uno vs. Blake Li
The two discuss the $300,000 challenge on Rampage that Dark Order didn’t win.
Taz: It was a good opportunity for Dark Order, but they didn’t do it, that sucks. They missed out on the TKCCTR. It’s a tough thing to deal with.
Ex: I’m not gonna verify that those are the initials for that, but it sounded correct.
Taz: No no, the Three Kings Christmas Casino Trios Royal. Yeah, of course, I got it. The Tay Key, the Tee Kay, HELLO, TK! TKC, CTR.
Ex: 300K
Taz: Yeah, 300K, TK, CK…
Looks like the live Rampage on Friday is also going to include Battle of the Belts V, which is airing live right after Rampage. I’m guessing on Wednesday we get the Youtube matches, then Dynamite, then maybe a dark main event since it’ll only be 7 PM here on the west coast, then on Friday we get more Youtube matches, then Rampage, then BotB to close the show.
Maybe this time there’ll actually be a title change on the show that’s entirely themed around title matches.
Samoa Joe (c) vs. Darby Allin for the TNT title
The Acclaimed (c) vs. Jeff Jarrett & Jay Lethal for the AEW world tag team titles
Ricky Starks vs. Chris Jericho
Kiera Hogan & Skye Blue vs. Jade Cargill & Red Velvet
AR Fox vs. Swerve Strickland
Bryan Danielson vs. Tony Nese
Sounds like it oughta be a good show. I was expecting a higher profile opponent for Bryan, but Tony Nese is a good worker and they oughta be able to put on a great match.
I’ll eat my hat if Tony Khan actually puts a title around the waist of Jeff Jarrett in the Year Of Our Lord Two Thousand and Twenty Three, though.
Wrestle Kingdom is tomorrow night, and here’s the card for this year;
IWGP World Heavyweight Championship: Jay White (c) vs. Kazuchika Okada
IWGP United States Championship: Will Ospreay (c) vs. Kenny Omega
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship: Taiji Ishimori (c) vs. El Desperado vs. Hiromu Takahashi vs. Master Wato
The Great Muta, Hiroshi Tanahashi, & Shota Umino vs. Tetsuya Naito, Sanada, and Bushi
NEVER Openweight Championship: Karl Anderson (c) vs. Tama Tonga
NJPW World Television Championship tournament final: Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Ren Narita
IWGP Tag Team Championship: FTR (c) vs. Hirooki Goto & Yoshi-Hashi
IWGP Women’s Championship: Kairi Sane (c) vs. Tam Nakano
TJ Perkins & Francesco Akira vs. Lio Rush & Yoh
Antonio Inoki memorial match: Yuji Nagata, Satoshi Kojima, & Togi Makabe vs. Tatsumi Fujinami, Minoru Suzuki & Tiger Mask IV
Ryohei Oiwa vs. Boltin Oleg
New Japan Rumble
Mercedes Varnado and Trinity Fatu, the free agents formerly known as Sasha Banks and Naomi, will reportedly be making an appearance as well. Definitely gonna catch this one.
Just one night at the Tokyo Dome this year. They’re doing a second night in Yokohama on the 21st, but I’m not sure if that’s going to be a Japan-only not-available-overseas event like night 3 was last year.
Taz is the first to welcome viewers to the new year, despite it being 2 days after the fact, and Ex having previously doing the same.
Ex wonders if Brian Pillman Jr. is wearing a Star Trek insignia on his trunks. (It’s the A in LINEAGE on Pillman’s backside) Taz says it’s a logo. Seems like Ex was reaching on that one.
Ex: You’re Mr. Sunshine and I bring everybody down. Taz: Yeah, you’re a heel.
Taz thinks the “Romero Special” should be named “Rosie Special” for female athletes. Ex suggests “Romera Special.”
Taz says he’s going to be the Grand Marshall for a parade in Stoney Mountain, just outside of Winnepeg. This bit goes on for 5 minutes.
Leon Ruffin should change his name to Dancin’ Dan Ruffin.
Ryzin (who dresses like a devil worshiper) has his own landscaping company. Ex says it’s called Hell’s Ryzin.
Ex walks back a comment, and Taz saves him by saying “That’s our job. We ponder.” Ex replies, “Call us a stagecoach, because we’re ponder-osing over here.”
JD Drake takes a bump off the ring, and Taz remarks he looks like he fell off a barstool.
Ryzin & Cameron Stewart vs. Trustbusters’ Sonny Kiss & Slim J
Ex: Well Taz, I’m not a man of means quite like you, and I don’t have an assistant, I don’t have a butler, and as we established earlier in this episode, which we both have probably forgotten about, you have your assistant Bob Cartwright sitting to your right, actually.
Taz: Correct.
Ex: Your personal assistant.
Taz: And you thought he was a fan, like I’d have a fan sitting next to me? C’mon! I don’t do that. Well, Schiavone sits next to me on Wednesdays.
…
Taz: But you were trying to make a point and it was taking you forever. Go on.
Ex: Long story long. The thing I was wanting to point out, is that Jeeves K, when he was out here with his boss Aria Davairi earlier, he was wearing wrestling trunks, a vest, white gloves and nothing else. Now here with Slim J and Sonny Kiss, he seems to have dressed up, he put on more layers. He’s got a shirt, he’s got a tie, he’s got a jacket.
Taz: It’s freezin’, dude, it’s like 60 degrees with that dumb thermostat, it’s so cold in this building. I don’t blame Jeeves. I’m wearing a smoker.
Ex: You made sure you brought your La Parka.
Taz: Of course, La Parka.
I assure you, the crowd was RED HOT for every second of it. The pop for Swerve, huge as it was, wasn’t even close.
They taped a match for Elevation in which Brian Cage took on a guy named Schaff. He’s a former DEFY champion and he got a HUGE pop. I had no idea so many people knew about DEFY even here, let alone recognized him. It was also a pretty competitive match for an enhancement match with a local wrestler making his debut.
Awesome main event. Joe was just throwing Darby around like a ragdoll and he was selling like a champ. Roof blew off the joint when he finally hit the coffin drop for the win.
He’s cutting a promo now about how he used to take the bus to see the Sonics in this arena and introducing his late trainer’s 17-year-old son, Nick Wayne, who just made his pro debut in DEFY.
I left about an hour into the postshow Dark taping, after they’d done about six squash matches with DEFY wrestlers. It was cool to see them on a big stage, but it starts to get anticlimactic and boring when you know the outcome of the match as soon as the jobber makes their way to the ring with no intro. Also, I was becoming increasingly hangry as the corn dog I got at the concession stand before the show had tasted like it’d been sitting under a heat lamp for hours despite the doors having only opened ten minutes before I bought it.
On to Portland for Rampage and Battle of the Belts!
I thought it was a nice touch when Joe goozled Nick Wayne at ringside. It was such a dick thing to do after Darby and Wayne had their PDA, but it practically launched the kid’s career into the national spotlight.
