You may recall that Theory made his WWE debut in a Wrestlemania match, so it won’t be his first outing.
Granted, that was a pretty weird Wrestlemania, what with it taking place inside a gymnasium and with no audience, but still.
That’s just it. A WM crowd is ‘bigger’ in impact than a normal crowd. Bianca BelAir needed a Sasha Banks, who herself was still a bit overwhelmed despite her experience. With the way over-produced matches the ring-work should be fine, but those two just don’t have the experience responding to the crowd (assuming the crowd is not dead during the match).
dear lord … anyone hear corny’s latest podcast? they should name it cornette unleashed cause I don’t know how the main podcast works as I normally just wait until they edit the segments and just listen to what I want to but I listened to the whole thing and …WOW only maybe 40 percent is about wrestling and the est is what ever the hell pops in his mind it seems …
AEW Revolution was all sorts of awesome. Every participant worked their asses off, and they had to change the mat canvas several times for all the Duke Nuke’em level blood spatter.
Favorite camera shots
- During the ladder match, Christian made a show of going to the corner and stomping his boot, like he was ready to deliver a high-powered kick to whoever was in the opposite corner, when Keith Lee emerged from behind the ring like Loch Ness rising from the waters. They did that with in NXT a couple times before, and I’m giddy they recreated that camera shot.
- Wardlow found the diamond ring he kayfabed being unable to find before, and laid it in the ring in front of CM Punk, whose face was covered with blood. Punk gave a purely evil grin when he saw the ring.
- When Moxley and DBD came to blows after their match and the security personnel were unable to contain them, William Fucking Regal came out of the crowd to admonish them and calm them down. I had absolute chills. Two reasons: I was glad to see Regal vindicated from being let go from NXT, and the other was something Jim Cornette mused about during one of his podcasts. He said the problem with uniting two main eventers into a tag team was that it was problematic for promotion purposes. Which guy is the bigger draw, and will he steal the heat from the other guy? Fortunately, Regal’s presence provides the balance. He’s going to be the authority figure that attempts to contain their runaway egos and encourage them to unite their powers. I am so looking forward to this angle.
I was pretty happy to see Shane Strickland get signed - I got to meet him several times at DEFY shows in Seattle (along with Darby Allin, another local boy who’s made it big), and he really got done dirty by WWE, so I’m excited to see what happens in a promotion thar knows how to use him. The theater I was in lit up with the “Who’s house? SWERVE’S HOUSE!” chants for him.
Well, it looks like they’re actually going to try to make Owens/Austin happen at Wrestlemania, because nothing could possibly go wrong in a match involving a 57-year-old man who hasn’t wrestled in 19 years because of several career-ending injuries.
With Bron Breakker dropping the NXT title to Dolph Ziggler (because I guess that’s how Vince thinks he’s gonna build the next generation of stars), it looks like he’s on the main roster now.
I have a sneaking suspicion that he’s gonna be the one that finally beats Roman for all the gold.
Another great moment from that match - early on after Punk had first gotten bloodied and laid out, MJF grabbed the microphone and demanded that Punk tell the audience he was giving up before shoving it in his face - and Punk responded “EAT SHIT, MAX!”
To which JR quipped “And like it!”
One of my favorite CM Punk “fuck you” moments was when the Wyatt Family gave him a beatdown, Harper and Rowan held him while Bray started to deliver one of his cryptic cult leader speeches. Punk immediately head butted Bray right in the schnozz. It was like the poster of the field mouse flipping the bird to the gigantic eagle about to grab him.
AEW Dark Taz/Excalibur moments of the day
This is the most note taking I did for a Dark episode. There were so many good ones, this will be more than the typical one moment of the day.
Anna Jay (with -1) vs. Marina Tucker
Ex: -1 of course, staying in the AEW Company Hotel, staying on my floor actually, pulled the fire alarm this morning.
Taz: I’m up in the penthouse. I didn’t hear it.
"Pretty" Peter Avalon & Ryan Nemeth vs Top Flight
Taz: Look at that head of hair of Avalon. Kinda reminds me of Evel Knievel from the early 70’s. Unbelievable!
Ex: I believe that is called a “Brazilian Blowout.”
Taz: Pardon me? You can say that on YouTube?
Ex: It’s a hairstyle…
Taz: I don’t think antibiotics are gonna help you, if you have a “Brazilian Blowout” at Yucca Flats.
Ruby Soho and A.Q.A. vs Diamante and Amy Sakura
Botch moment as Ruby appears to roll up A.Q.A.
Taz: Whoa, oh, what? Wait a minute. That’s her teammate. This is awkward. This is odd.
Ex: Amy Sakura with a submission on both A.Q.A and Ruby Soho…
Taz: Can you explain that to me?
Ex: She… she rolled A.Q.A. onto Ruby Soho, so they would roll up, Sakura grabbed both women’s ankles and held them open, so that Diamante could come in with that dropkick.
Taz: That was a rhetorical question.
Jay Lethal vs. Serpentico (with Luther)
Ex: Taz, I was talking with Luther and Serpentico,
Taz: Why?
Ex: sputters
Taz: I was wondering why you would talk to these guys.
Ex: For the sake of this anecdote.
Taz: It’s dangerous. These guys are dangerous guys.
Ex: I asked them if they were…
Taz: Most of the talent, the wrestlers, they don’t talk to you. You were saying something? What was your point?
Ex: That’s it. You’re never going to find out. The moment has passed.
…
Luther screams at Serpentico
Taz: Luther’s saying “Go to the top,” he’s screaming at a very high pitch.
Ex: Serpentico doesn’t want to go to the top! He wants no part of it!
Taz: He’s got such a high-pitched voice. I wonder if he’s got a knot tied around something on his throat, his knee…
Ex: How would he tie… did you say his knee?
…
Lethal wins with the Lethal Injection
Taz: What sort of brass does it have to name a name after your name? Name a finisher after yourself? That’s a little crass and low-brow. I would never do that.
Taz’s finishing move was called “The Tazmission”
As much as I am a WWE defender, I really can’t understand making Ziggler the NXT champion. I hated when Charlotte did it and it at least made SOME sense since she had won it before, but Zigs wasn’t even in NXT (was he even in GCW? I don’t think so…) so what’s even the point? If you wanted to get the title off Brekker because he’s being called up then just give it to Chiampa or. here’s a novel thought, give it to someone new?
According to Wikipedia, he and Tye Dillenger were FCW tag team champions at one point.
Big E. suffered a broken neck from a botched suplex on tonight’s episode of SmackDown. He can still move all his fingers, fortunately.
Horrible news.
It was probably to throw Ziggler a bone, since he’s been enhancement talent to the stars for practically his entire career.
Scott Hall is on life support after suffering three heart attacks due to a runaway blood clot after hip surgery in Georgia.
Scott Hall and Curt Hennig were a great tag team back in the AWA days. Sadly, AWA had a hard time getting on national TV shows and we only got to watch very sporadically in NY, but I did get to see them team a few times… What a difference from AWA and even WCW to becoming Razon Ramon, but he made it work.
I’m even old enough to remember Curt Hennig as the WWWF babyface jobber who would get in minor offense before he migrated to AWA and started getting a push.
That was back when Hall had a Magnum PI mustache. I didn’t recognize him when he emerged as Razor Ramon. That was back before the internets revealed their real names, so several years later, I was like “Whuuut”?
Wrestling Observer was just talking about that. He even went by Magnum Scott Hall for a little bit, but it was too close to Magnum T.A., so they dropped it. And I had the same reaction with Razor Ramon when I found out that was the wrestler fka Scott Hall. HUGE reinvention, versus Jericho’s many minor to medium course-corrections/adjustments.
Once Scott Hall’s family is gathered together to say goodbye, they’re going to take him off life-support. Kevin Nash shared a heartbreaking tribute.
And he’s gone.
damn this one hurts…