I have to give props to the Snickers commercial with Chad Gable and Otis Dozevic. They’re being interviewed and Otis is asked about Chad. “He sleeps with a night light, ugly cries, and never calls his mom.” Chad hands Otis a Snickers because he’s weird when he’s hungry or something.
At the end of the ad, Chad is ugly crying into the phone and telling his mom “You said sleeping with the night light on was normal!”
If you were wondering why last night’s Raw was full of talky segments, screwy non-finishes, and angles that make no sense, it’s because Vince is running the show again.
“You thought you could get rid of me, didn’t ya? Not when I own 95% stock, bitches!”
Did you mean to say “If you were wondering why last night’s Raw was a steaming pile of shit…”?
How much influence does the SDMB think VKM had on WM results, especially night 2?
i wonder how long or even if HHH is going to stay
Some say he will stay to try to protect his rehires and shield the roster as much as he can from Vince; the others say he will follow Stephanie. Wrestling press and dirtsheets are about equally divided, though the former has slightly more adherents.
AEW Dark Taz/Excalibur moment of the day
Tony Storm vs. Kiera Hogan
Taz: Kiera Hogan’s from Hot-lanta, she’s got the hot hair, the hot boots, she’s doing a Hot Flying Gimmick Status Version Plancha Jones!
Ex: She’s hot to trot!
Taz: 1950 wants their clichés back.
Ex: I’m just trying to fit in with my colleagues at the announce desk.
This has the potential to turn into a Yes Movement level fan rebellion.
I think I only just now twigged to why the ‘Roman Reigns’ persona and gimmick — the guy who can’t seem to accomplish anything on his own, but who remains triumphant so long as pro wrestlers obligingly go to work for him upon acknowledging that he sure is the head of the table — resonates so much with Vince.
Some interesting tidbits of gossip from the HOF show. Ron Simmons only showed up after hearing that Tim White was getting the award. He had no interest in doing anything else with the WWE. Everybody there had nothing but kind words for Timmy, except Stacy Keibler who apparently doesn’t talk to ordinary folk. People were warned not to say anything about Vince’s mustache. A lot of people are pissed about the sale, it’s not about Vince or HHH, they know WWE got bought by a bigger company and the good times are over.
On Saturday night in Seattle, Nick Wayne, the 17-year-old prodigy who’s been setting the indies on fire for the last two years, beat Shane Strickland to win the DEFY championship.
After the match, Strickland took the mic and announced that he was requesting his rematch for the July 12 episode of Dynamite, two days after Wayne’s 18th birthday.
No word as to whether the DEFY championship is gonna be on the line in that match, but it’d be pretty cool if it was. DEFY has kinda become a farm league for AEW at this point, and when I went to AEW’s Seattle show in January I was surprised by how much of the crowd knew about DEFY and was chanting for their wrestlers in the matches they taped for Dark. It’d be a great way to elevate the title and put a spotlight on Pacific Northwest wrestling, which has become one of the most active wrestling scenes in the past decade.
AEW Dark Taz/Excalibur moment of the day
Shortest AEW Dark episode ever, but the commentary team didn’t disappoint.
“Big Shotty” Lee Johnson vs. Blake Li
Ex: Taz, you may have more insight on this than I do, but since the dissolution of The Factory, since QT Marshall changing genres from a wrestling coach to a reality show producer, Lee Johnson kinda got cut adrift.
…
Taz: As far as QT Marshall and the shot you took at him, you called him a reality TV producer. I mean, c’mon, he’s a major big time pro wrestler, a great trainer, and he trained Lee Johnson, OK? QT is very respectful, and you called him a TV producer, which is rude.
Ex: I meant among his other accomplishments Taz, and I apologize to you and I apologize specifically to QT Marshall.
Taz: Why are you apologizing to me? Ooh, good dropkick! Why are you apologizing to me?
Ex: Because you just had to speak for approximately 22 seconds and I know how angry that makes you when it happens on Dark!
I have a suggestion for Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks, channeling my inner Jim Cornette here.
Maybe if you’re trying to get babyface heat, you three should be the victims of BCB’s beatdown, instead of your stooges. You didn’t have any taken-out-by-stretcher scenes to build audience sympathy for you. You had the commentators attribute your absence to unwitnessed storyline injuries, which is weak. You obviously want to drive home that your opponents have to be really really good to beat you, like that best of 7 series for the Trios belts, but really, you’re like William Shatner directing ST V. Self-aggrandizing wankers aren’t that appealing.
The next Saudi Arabia PLE has been renamed Night of Champions. It was originally King and Queen of the Ring.
Does this mean a tag title change before Saudi Arabia?
Nick signed with AEW when he was 16. Smart move by Tony Khan to get him early. Will he be AEW or ROH? Do they “develop” him or stick a rocket up his backside? Looking forward to July.
Did you guys see it on Raw? Solo Sikoa kicked out of an attempted pin on a 1 count! Did he forget how to count? Well, later in the match he did it the right way and waited until the ref’s hand was on the way down for the 3 count.
Kicking out on one is old-school. Shows that the pinned is still strong and has a lot of fight left. It’s not used as often as it should be, and the announcers should have done a better job selling it.
He should have done a quick 2 count before the one that almost went to 3. Changing the effectiveness of moves through the match was a way to tell a story in the ring with an ebb and flow of success. Now one guy does his moves, then they suddenly switch, and then back again. The switches play no part in the story or the outcome since all matches are determined by outside interference anyway.
It could just mean a return to the old Night of Champions PPVs, where most, if not all, of the titles were on the line in matches, although considering how many there are now, would there be enough time?
As for KOTR/QOTR, I haven’t been watching Raw or SD lately, but have they been mentioning qualifying matches for those? I doubt they would just go right in with two 8-wrestler brackets; that’s 14 matches (well, 14 minus any convenient non-results that would result in a wrestler getting a bye).
AEW Dark Taz/Excalibur moment of the day
Couldn’t cover the whole show today, but here are the first half highlights.
After all these years of covering Dark, I realized there could be a Taz Drinking Game. Take a drink every time he says “Yambag Yahtzee,” calls anybody “Jones,” says “but I digress,” or flames referee Bryce Remsburg. There’s also take a drink every time Taz says “(name), no relation to (other name that’s similar).”
Cole Karter vs. Hunter James
Cole Karter tells his opponent “You don’t belong here!”
Taz: That’s what you actually said when I first came to AEW.
Ex: That’s what you said to Sammy Guevara when he came into the announcer’s dressing room this past Wednesday.
Taz: That’s a true story.