Ugh. GOLDBERG.
Me turn off TV.
It’s Saudi time, and VKM is throwing money at Goldberg so that the Saudis throw money at VKM. I don’t want to watch either. Wish the champion would just once say, “Who have you beaten to deserve this?”
Goldberg has only won 5 matches since his return to WWE at Survivor Series '16: He defeated Lesnar, beat Owens for the Universal Title, beat Ziggler, Wyatt (for the Universal Title), and Lashley. In that time, he has lost in the Royal Rumble match, lost the Universal Title to Lesnar, lost to Undertaker, Strowman, McIntyre, and Lashley. In singles matches, he’s 5-5 since his return. And 6 of those 10 singles matches have been for a world championship.
Who has this guy beaten that he can waltz right in and demand a title shot? He’s lost three out of his last four matches.
He shouldn’t even have competed against Drew McIntyre at the Royal Rumble last year. He accused Drew of disrespecting all the legends when Randy Orton was right fucking there, and that’s a bigger-money match, anyway. Look, if you just want the title, at least have the self-awareness to say that.
…Glacier, I guess? 
Weird that the Saudis are demanding to see a Jewish guy.
Bill Goldberg and Paul Heyman have got to be the most beloved Jews in KSA history. But then again, considering how censored their media is, I don’t know if the common Saudi citizen even knows they’re Jewish to begin with.
AEW Dark Taz/Excalibur moment of the day
Wheeler Yuta vs. Aaron Solo (w/ QT Marshall)
Taz: There’s QT Marshall. That poor guy, I feel bad for him sometimes. I really do. I’m a giving man. I’m a soulful man, you know what I mean? I’m a humble man.
Ex: You’re a nice guy, Taz.
Taz: And it hurts me so much to see my son suplex QT all over the stage. It’s tough! Just a Walkover Jones, it’s rough!
Ex: I’m glad that underneath the hard exterior, you’re still a softie.
Taz: I’m like a lamb, you hear me? Like a damn lamb. Baaaaaaah all right here we go, rear chinlock.
Someone please get me a screen capture of Santana giving the “Can you believe this guy?” look to the camera on Dynamite at the end of the Inner Circle meeting.
This is what I mean:
In other news, Matt Cardona is now the NWA World Heavyweight Champion.
Woo woo woo - you KNOW it.
this just in Cody and Brandi out at aew :
Interesting. Is he under a no-compete clause? Could he return in time for WrestleMania or as the customary Night After WrestleMania Surprise?
Meltzer says he could appear on WWE today if he wanted to.
An odd turn for a guy who quit and started his own promotion because Vince had turned him into a directionless jobber in a silly costume, but then again his dad went back to work for Vince again after being turned into a happy polka-dotted dancer.
If Cody returns to WWE, Vince will put him in yellow polka dots or something. I can’t imagine he’d be treated well after forming AEW. (Though I don’t sense quite the same level of hostility between the two companies as there was between the WWF and WCW; indeed, Chris Jericho appeared on Stone Cold’s WWE Network show while under AEW contract. On the other hand, Vince deliberately moved NXT to compete directly with Dynamite, and when that didn’t work, he moved it back, and in an apparent fit of pique, removed Triple H from his responsibility running the show, rebranded it as NXT 2.0, gave Rick Steiner’s son a crappy name and had him beat Tomasso Ciampa for the NXT Title.)
I’m imagining something along the lines of the Simpsons episode where Homer goes to get his job back at the plant after his dream of working at a bowling alley doesn’t pan out, and he’s made to enter Mr. Burns’ office through a soot-lined doggy door so that Burns can stand over him and say “So, come crawling back, eh?”
I dont get why he’s leaving something he started either … but from what I’ve read over the past 2 ,3 years AEW fans won’t miss him…
So is trips out of the WWE entirely? if he is he should talk to khan about becoming the booker and show Vince how to really run a modern fed…
That would be one hell of an angle … have a dark scorpion type of thing where no one sees him for months but leave these little vid clips but he’s pulling the strings and then bam, have him walk out …
He’s got the same problem as any wrestler-booker - smarks are going to see him as booking himself to look good at the expense of others, even if he’s not actually doing so. Jeff Jarrett had the same problem in TNA, as did Kevin Sullivan and Kevin Nash in WCW (who legitimately was booking himself to be the biggest badass around to the point of ending Goldberg’s streak.) Granted, Tony Khan has basically taken over the booking at this point, but the fact that Cody was de facto running the company in the early months was bound to stick with him.
Cody is also closely associated with AEW developmental via the Nightmare Factory, so I’m wondering if that will implode. I reserve judgment until the split is official. I’m still convinced it’s a work.
AEW Dark Taz/Excalibur moment of the day
Lot of gems to choose from this episode. Taz speculated on making John Silver’s face into a luchador mask, debated on whether “Long Island” deserved to be called “Strong Island,” and related some bad experiences in Albuquerque. He and Ex lost it when calling Nakazawa’s match, unable to cover for the many botches, so they gave up. Let’s go with “Canada’s Greatest Athlete.”
2Point0 vs. The Metro Brothers
Ex: Now Taz, “Big Magic” Matt Lee calls himself “Canada’s Greatest Athlete, the Bread that Cannot Be Toasted.” I thought Wayne Gretzky was Canada’s greatest athlete.
Taz: Uhhhh, I don’t agree with that at all. Gretzky was a good hockey player, but he wasn’t the greatest. Let’s be honest, the greatest hockey, the greatest Canadian athlete, what are you talking about? What is your question, Excalibur?
Ex: Canada’s Greatest Athlete.
Taz: Everybody knows that was Iron Mike Sharpe*, for years. OK, that forearm. He did all that. Right now, Jeff Parker’s showin’ he’s an amazing athlete. Matt Lee, on the apron, I think they could be tied, “Canada’s Greatest Athletes.” Does that answer your question?
Ex: Well, so not really, you kind of stepped around it a little more than anything. The tag is made by Jeff Parker. So Matt Lee calls himself “Canada’s Greatest Athlete,” that’s even above his own tag team partner. Wow, Release German Suplex on Chris Metro!
Taz: chuckles while Matt Lee talks trash to his opponent. Uh, Matt Lee threw me off. Ha hah! I can’t even recover after what just happened. But anyway…
After Ex delivers a quick AHA promo, 2Point0 suddenly get the win, and Taz is spared having to answer Ex’s question.
*Iron Mike Sharpe was a WWF jobber in the early 80’s. He always wore a cast on his arm, teasing that he would use it to get a victory, but it never worked.