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Being a writer means, more often than not, that dealing with trauma comes out of a pen or keyboard. It’s almost a knee-jerk reaction. When you’ve been doing it for as long as I have, it pretty much is a knee-jerk reaction. Then comes this nagging thought that perhaps you’re feeding your own ego based on the demise of someone that meant a lot to you. It’s a double-edged sword. Are we dealing with loss the only way we know how to, or are we trying to bolster our names simple because we have a platform?
This thought process, I’m sure, is shared by many others on this site, and even within the WWE. What’s the proper tribute? How do we not look like leeches obsessed with a high rating? For example, this Friday’s Smackdown was emotionally taxing and downright sad, and yet I saw comment after comment on how WWE did it incorrectly. I’ve seen this before. We tell others how to grieve. We get upset that the video package wasn’t long enough, or they only gave us an “In Memoriam.” It’s baffling. To those struggling with how to properly process the loss of someone within our fandom/community, I want you to know that there isn’t a wrong way. A poem, a post, spending all day watching Season 2 of NXT (Ok, maybe this is a wrong way), or simply staying silent and grieving in peace. Do not let anyone dictate how to process this trauma.
For me, I sat with it. I wrote something, deleted it, and wrote it again. I nearly submitted a column. I’ve written about Dusty, I’ve written about AJ retiring, I’ve written about Cody leaving AEW. My body of work is not nearly as large as Larry’s, or as hilarious as Dunn’s, but in each of those, I know I was processing something, and let you guys peek in the room while I was processing it.
This one was different, though. For the first time ever, I had some guilt to wrestle with. I’m a critic, and although I don’t have a specific time in mind, I’m sure I said something at some point to disparage the thought process behind one of Bray’s wild characters, and with that realization came guilt. Who am I? What gives me the clout? The authority? What if Bray read one of my books and thought it garbage? How would that make me feel?
I have since addressed that guilt, and accepted that his creativity was shackled. I have made excuses that he was perfect, and the WWE had no clue what to do with him. Who knows, maybe he only had a few good ideas in him, but damn were they a blast. One thing I haven’t yet accepted, and hopefully will once this little opening closes, is that we lost another of our brothers in this small community. That shit hurts. It should come as no surprise that this world we love has taken its fair share of flesh and blood, but the days of enlarged hearts and ODs are waning. These hosses are healthy and in prime shape. It’s just a scary realization that we all have a ticking clock, and Bray’s was ready to stop ticking.
I do my best not to compare him to anyone. He wasn’t the next Undertaker, the next Jake the Snake. He was the first Bray Wyatt, and man did he fucking kill it.
RIP Bray.
It’s Wednesday, you know what that means…
AEW starts with a recap of this weekend.
Kommander vs Jon Moxley
Jon corners Kommander with a kick and a chop. Kommander is able to send Jon out of the ring then dive off the top rope with a crossbody. Kommander sends Jon into the ring, heads to te top rope. Jon kicks then hops up and rakes the back of Kommander. Kommander fights off and flies off the top rope with a spin, but lands on the mat! Jon with a front suplex.
WE ARE BACK and Jon has a front faced headlock on Kommander. Headbutt from Jon. He tries for a piledriver. Flips up Kommander, then he hits a facebuster! They trade right hands, Kommander hits the ropes. Jon with a hard right hand@ KOmmander with a clothesline! Kick is missed by Kommander but he spins with another. Another kick to the kneed Jon. DDT to Jon! Kommander attacks the back, torture rack setup for Jon! He hits a gutbuster. Cover for Kommander! 1…2…NO!!! Kommander to the top rope. Kommander walks the ropes, tries for a 450, but Jon has the knees up! Jon up, HUGE LARIAT! Piledriver! Cover! 1..2…NO!!!
Jon with the harsh elbows! Jon with a rear choke! Elbows from Kommander. He turns it into an armbar! Kommander taps!
Winner: Kommander
Total Rating: **
Match Time: 8:50
Orange Cassidy gets a cool little video package before we head to
The Young Bucks immediately after their match. FTR comes into their locker room to shake hands, but The Bucks don’t seem happy.
Bullet Club Gold run in and we get an eight-man match set up.
Toni Storm has some promo time with Renee where she expresses that she cant trust anyone.
Up next is Chris Jericho!
Jericho has a mic. He thanks Chicago, says they should all be happy. He is happy. This was one of the biggest weekends of his career! Biggest night for his band and the biggest wrestling show of all time. One of his favorite shows overall. There is something he’d like to forget, though. He has something to say to Sammy Guevara though, so he calls him out.
Sammy Guevara comes out.
Jericho has something to tell Sammy. He is not happy with how things went down. Jericho was frustrated, and that’s why he pushed him. He had Ospreay in the Walls, and Sammy was there to help. He wants to shake Sammy’s hand.
Sammy shakes it, and they hug.
Jericho feels so much better now. He thinks Sammy could have hit him harder with a baseball bat.
Sammy takes offense. Maybe Jericho should have hit Ospreay a little harder with the Judas Effect. Jericho doesn’t want him to be angry, he just envisioned things differently.
Sammy wonders what he envisioned. Was it Sammy leaving his pregnant wife in Orlando to have his back in England?
Jericho says no, he did that to be a part of the biggest show of all time. Sammy agrees that plenty of people would have loved to be on the show. Maybe he could have wrestled on it. Jericho says he should have followed his advice and he would have.
I had to step away for a second, but basically, Sammy and Jericho will be in tag team action tonight.
Wheeler Yuta vs Eddie Kingston
LOCKUP! Yuta backs Kingston into the corner, slaps him hard. Kingston removes the wrap from his head and goes on the attack. Yuta arm drags him and bites the hand. Eddie hits a knee, Yuta with Divorce Court! Cover! 1….NO!!! Yuta puts a knee to the forearm and drives a knee into it.
WE ARE BACK and Eddie hits a freaking suicide dive onto Yuta outside! Eddie rolls him back in and hits a huge clothelsine in the corner. Eddie’s arm is hurting, but Eddie hits chop after chop in the corner, then a knife edge to the throat. Exploder out of the corner. Cover for 1..2…NO!!! Yuta up. GERMAN! With a bridge! 1..2…NO!!! SAITO SUPLEX FROM KINGSTON!!! Cover for 1..2.NO!!! Eddie with a half nelson, but Yuta hits some elbows, then a freaking Angle SlaM! Cover! 1..2…NO!!!! Eddie still favoring the elbow. Yuta with a kick to the chin, Eddie eats it. Yuta slaps him. Eddie up. Chop! Yuta with elbow strikes to the hurt arm! He then drives them into the face! Kingston is drooping down, but gets some adrenaline. Yuta hits a forearm, a rolling elbow,
Eddie catches him! HALF AND HALF! Rolling back fist from Eddie! Yuta still standing! ANOTHER BACKFIST! Cover! 1….2…3!!!
Winner: Eddie Kingston
Yuta is a scrappy MFer ain’t he? This was fun.
Total Rating: **
Match Time: 8:54
Claudio Castagnoli is here to grab Yuta, completely ignoring Eddie while he does so. He lifts Yuta and walks him up the ramp while Eddie shouts out at him.
MJF, after All-IN, is icing his shoulder. Adam Cole comes in to talk, but MJF is upset. He says Cole nearly broke his neck, Cole has made him wrestle more in the last month than he has in a long time. He has a lot coming, so he’s going to Paris for a week to bang some rats and eat some baguettes. Cole understands, says he deserves it, and wishes him luck. He leaves, and we get Cole after the break.
We are backstage with Sammy Guevara who wants to speak of the apology and their chasing of the AEW Tag Team Championships.
Sammy is about to explain, but here comes Don Callis. He wonders if it is challenging having to deal with a sociopath like Jericho. Don just heard about Tay being pregnant.
Sammy tells Don to get his hands off him. Stop talking. Sammy has a family, he didn’t leave them to talk to Don. They are none of his business, so get lost.
Adam Cole is here to thank us all for making the PPV the most special night in his entire life. He and MJF became new tag team champs and in the main event, he challenged for the AEW Title, and although it was special, it wasn’t perfect. He lost. It hurt. He knows he’ll get another shot soon.
Concerning MJF, he isn’t in great shape. But he’ll be ready this Sunday.
Cole is cut off by his name being shouted loudly.
It’s Roderick Strong and The Kingdom.
Strong wants to get things straight. He cares more about MJFs neck than he cares about Roderick’s. Is his neck health not important to Cole?
Cole says he is not the guy he’s been friends with over ten years. Is he listening to “these guys?”
THESE GUYS?! Mike Bennett is pissed. Cole acting like he doesn’t know them! He has story time now. ECW Arena, 2010. ROH. A 21 year old Adam Cole vs a 25 year old Mike Bennett. He remembers. They got each other jobs that night. They were both signed, and from that point on, they were bonded. They did everything together. Cole was at his wedding. Hosted his bachelor party. Cole’s problem is that he cares too much about what the fans think and forgot what “these guys” meant to Cole.
Adam Cole says that’s not true, but Matt Taven says he thought about this for a while. He needed Kingom, then joined Bullet Club to get that merch money. Then he went to Florida and used all of their friends to elevate him. Cole is a leech, and he’s always been one. Now, he latched onto MJF because he thinks that’s the gateway to the AEW Title. He has a question – when he looks at pictures of the past, does Cole ignore the people around him? He thinks not, because Cole is the only person Cole has ever cared about.
Cole tells them that they know for a fact that this isn’t true. If he made them feel that way, he is so sorry. He knows. They were all very close. He has learned how important it is to be understanding, and the three of them have to accept the fact that MJF is his best friend.
Strong cannot accept it. He is entering the Grand Slam tournament and do what Cole couldn’t do. He’s going to beat MJF in the middle of this ring and become the new AEW World Champion with his real friends by his side. So if Cole was his real friend, he’d be rooting for Roderick, too.
Cole says that’s a horrible idea, Strong is in no condition to wrestle. His neck, it’s not in good shape.
Strong mocks his sudden care of his neck. Strong doesn’t need a rollup, a diamond ring, or a 100% neck to win clean here. He’s going to break everyone’s back and win the tournament because he is a wrestling legend.
Penta El Zero Miedo has some words for OC. It’s not personal, but he wants Moxley, because he hurt his brother. He’s comin for that ass.
Abraham warns Moxley that he will bleed like he’s never bled before.
Kris Statlander is here, and she is not alone. Hikaru Shdia comes out to join her. Oh look, Britt Baker is here, too! Six Woman action?
Britt Baker, Kris Statlander, and Hikaru Shida vs Nyla Rose, Marina Saafir, and Emi Sakura
Emi starts by hitting a crossbody to Britt before the bell even rings.
We get an official start with Shida cornering Emi and mounting for some punches. Dropkick off the 2nd rope sends Emi down hard. Tag to Britt. Right hands to Emi, then hits the ropes, Emi misses a right. Slingblade from Britt. Cover for 1…NO! Emi had a shoulder up. Marina distracts. Britt hits the ropes, but Nyla kicks her. Emi tags in Shafir. She corners Britt, kicks the inside of the thigh. Again. Takedown to Britt and a tag to Rose. Rose corners Britt, tag to Emi. She hits a hard right. Emi knocks the faces off the corner. Emi pulls Britt’s hair.
BACK FROM BREAK and Nyla is breaking up a pin. Rose and Emi double team Statlander, but Hikaru sends Emi out the ring and holds onto Nyla. Britt with a superkick, but Nyla ducks and Britt hits Shida! GOOZLE FROM ROSE!!! CHOKESLAM! Kris kicks, Rose blocks, GOOZLE! Kris blocks, kick. Shafir is sent to the outside. Nyla is next. Statlander is left alone in the ring. To the top rope! She dives with a crossbody onto everyone!
Kris sends Shafir into the ring. Shafir with a Wednesday Night Fever! Cover! 1..2….3!!!
Winners: Kris Statlander, Britt Baker, and Hikaru Shida
Inoffensive and with reason, but lacking any urgency or quality.
Total Rating: **
Match Time: 7:24
While Britt and Shida try and settle their differences, Ruby Soho runs into the ring to attack Kris Statlander! She has Kris this Sunday. Ruby grabs the title and leaves the ring. Britt and Shida run in to help Kris. They stare down Ruby as she kisses the title then leaves.
Samoa Joe will face Shane Taylor for the ROH TV Title this Sunday.
We head to a strategy session for Kenny Omega vs Konosuke Takeshita.
Don shows Kenny’s knee with no cartilage. Don wants knees and strikes.
We then see Kenny’s hernia repair. Blue Thunder Bomb is needed here. Right side is weak.
If all else fails, Don has a backup strategy. We see a clip of Don stabbing Kenny with a screwdriver.
The Acclaimed are here, and they’re sportin some gold.
Max Caster gets some licks in on McConnell and Trump, so he’s ok in my book.
Looks like we’re going to have a celebration in the ring. WE get a table with a cloth covering what looks like possibly new titles and a podium set up.
Billy Gunn has some good news. Daddy Ass is back. He was only gone like one day, but still. He says last Sunday was a good day for them. They became champions.
Max on the stick, says 80k people witnessed them take the titles. They thought it be fitting to come back to Chicago, where one year ago, they lifted up The Acclaimed and moved them to the next level. They wanted to return the favor by promising that they will lift the titles up with pride, and they wanna start this with a ribbon cutting ceremony.
Nice Scissor Me Daddy chant.
Max has some scissors, but Billy Gunn says he has a little one. Billy has a big one. He pulls out comically large scissors and gets the crowd to chant him into cutting the ribbon.
Bowens says there is a new era in the Trios Division. This is their house now. Welcome to The House of Ass. In this house, we wear pink. This titles are kind of dull. So they have a surprise for Billy.
The new Trios titles are….pink and they scissor.
Also, they’ll defend their titles on Saturday.
International Championship Match
Orange Cassidy vs Penta El Zero M
They meet in the middle of the ring, face to face, with Penta making t he first move. He shoves OC then shoves his M in the face of OC. OC holds his hands up, goes for the pockets, Penta trips his legs up, they run the ropes, Penta with an arm drag, OC hits one, sweeps the legs, pins, no count, Penta tries, OC wont let it happen, both men kip up. OC grabs at his shoulder. OC tries for the pockets again, Penta stops him, OC works the arm, hits a sick arm drag, dropping Penta to the mat. OC with the pockets! He runs the ropes, arm drag to Penta. OC hits the reops, dives, Penta catches him in a gorilla press, walks him over to the barricade, and drops him on it kidneys first! OUCH!
We are BACK and OC has Penta stacked up for 1..2.NO!!! OC sends Penta outside then hits a suicide dive! He grabs Penta by the head, Penta tries to send him into the steps, but OC hops onto them and back kicks, then flies off the steps…into a superkick from Penta!!! Penta enters the ring, then flies over the top rope onto OC!!! DEEEYUM!
Penta with the leg scissors in the ring. Bounces off the bottom rope for a leg drop. Cover for 1….2..NO!!! OC heads to the apron. Sends Penta to the corner, again, Penta blocks with a boot. High kick to OC, he grabs OC by the head and tries to suplex him into the ring, but OC hits a Stundog Millionaire. DDT to Penta! Cover! 1..2….NO!!! OC to the top rope! Penta kicks the leg out. Penta runs with another kick to the mid section. Penta to the corner, hops over OC! BACKSTABBER!! Cover for 1..2…NO!!!
WE come back and PENTA hits a huge kick to the face. He hits the ropes, and OC hits him with a kick! OC hits the ropes, cuts it short, Slingblade form Penta. Cover for 1..2.NO!!!! Penta with a kick to OC! Cover! 1..2..NO!!! Penta works the back. He wants a submission. He rips off the elbow pad. Pulls back on the arm, but OC is holding on! He puts his hand in the pocket!!!! Penta lifts OC up, OC with an arm drag. OC stops him mid-ring and starts with the super devastating CHOPS!!! He readies for a kick, Penta tries for a clothesline, DESTROYER!! But Penta fires back with one of his own!! OC HITS ANOTHER DESTROYER!!! OC out the corner, goes for Orange Punch, but Penta Blocks! MADE IN JAPAN! Pin for 1..2..NO!!! Penta lifts OC. OC reverses. Beach Break! Pin for 1..2.NO!!! OC struggles to stand. He’s up! Penta kicks the Orange Punch out! Penta grabs the arm, OC reaches the ropes! Penta stomps! Penta to the apron. Superkick on the apron from Orange Cassidy! One from Penta! Penta sets up, hooks the arms and then the legs, OC lifts!! Penta beats on the back. Penta lifts up. FEAR FACTOR! COVER! 1……2….NO!!!! OC grabs the ropes! Penta stomps the arm! He locks up the arm from behind, grabs the arm, pulls back and snaps the arm!
Penta sets up! Another Fear Factor!!!! Cover! 1…..2…….NO!!!!!
CRUCIFIX PIN!!!! 1…..2….3!!!
Winner: Orange Cassidy
FIVE STAR CASSIDY!!!!
Total Rating: *****
Match Time: 16:58
Penta is stunned. He leaves.
Cassidy asks for a mic and a chair. OC takes a seaet. He says he doesn’t usually like to talk but yet here we are. He is so tired. His body hurts. Every time he has a title defense, the backpack gets a little heavier. But he is here. He is wrestling. He is defending his title. This means everything to him. This is what AEW is. It’s about putting a person that was told you’ll never do anything, you’re too skinny and short and different. He is the champion. He will continue to defend his championship for as long as he wants. There is nothing anyone can do to take it from him. Jon Moxley, bring more than just a fork, because he will always be the International Champion. He is Freshly Squeezed Orange Cassidy, and he does not have a catchphrase.
Jon Moxley comes down to get in the face of Orange Cassidy. He slaps him. OC returns the punch, but it hurts his hand. They go face to face as we
End Show
