![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Entry tags:
DIE NASTY (04.07.2025)
It's Monday! I watched almost six hours of wrestling last night and ate a really spicy burger! I need to ask a manager if I can leave a little bit early today, too (to see a movie this time), but I'm scurrrrrrred. The spring melt is upon us. Anyway!
Nick Wayne & CRU vs. AR Fox & Top Flight: Solid opener, got the crowd hyped (and that Philadelphia crowd was HOT), lots of flippy bullshit to start the night right in an otherwise very wrestling-lite preshow. I wish I lived in the world where Kip and Leila could have a singles match.
Max Caster Open Challenge: BOWEEEEEENS. I was hoping their eventual confrontation would be a bigger deal, but I guess they can have a proper singles feud and blowoff now instead of just a quick open challenge preshow squash. Loving his new look and presentation, and I wish him the world.
-----
Will Ospreay vs. Kevin Knight in the Owen Hart Men's Tournament Quarterfinal: A banger! I think Knight's going to be a really solid addition to the roster, hopefully he finds a bit more of an identity here for himself than he did in New Japan. Mostly this just made me sad that Jay's injured, though. :(
The Hurt Syndicate (c) vs. Big Bill & Bryan Keith for the AEW World Tag Team Championship: Pretty fun! I hope those two move on from the Learning Tree now, though; it's an easy way to keep them on TV, but there's just nothing there anymore.
Mercedes Moné vs. Julia Hart in the Owen Hart Women's Tournament Quarterfinal: Killed it! I really like Julia's new pants. Mercedes is so damn good at this whole wrestling thing, like, there was no way in hell she was ever losing this match, but I STILL totally bit on some of those holds and near-falls. Statlander/Rosa should have been on the card, too, though; it's bullshit that the men's Owen got two kickoff matches here and the women got one. The booking of the women's division has gotten so much better over the last year, but this tournament always underlines exactly how lopsided things remain. I hope Mercedes winning with the seatbelt was a shoutout to Orange Cassidy, GET WELL SOON, KING.
Death Riders (c) vs. Rated FTR for the AEW World Trios Championship: FUCKING FINALLY. FTR should always be heels, they're just so aggressively annoying and boring when they're trying to be good guys. Fucking around with the neck brace and the gurney after the match was legit the first time I've enjoyed anything they've done in years. Also, it's goddamn hilarious how much Philadelphia hates Wheel Yuta, poor kid's got the most heat since the rise of Don Callis. TIME FOR CHRISTIAN TO SWOOP DRAMATICALLY BACK INTO HIS BROKEN-DOWN BETRAYED EX-HUSBAND'S LIFE, YES? YES????
Toni Storm (c) vs. Megan Bayne for the AEW Women's World Championship: BANGERRRRRRRR. What a big strong bitch she is! Love how Toni's still managing to evolve and innovate and absolutely slay from month to month when her whole character initially seemed pretty one-note and the feud of her career is now in the rearview. SHE REALLY IS FUCKING TIMELESS. Fantastic ending, too; when Megan kicked out at one after two hip attacks and a storm zero, it's like... what the fuck do you even DO after that??? Get a sneaky rollup win, obviously, to keep the Megasus as a total beast. I need her and Kris to just completely go on tandem tears for the rest of the year and then have a giant hoss fight at Worlds End. The little golden laurel leaves on her top were a good start, but I'mma need Penelope to lean further into the gimmick if she's gonna be a Greek goddess' flunky, though. What did Luther do with her???
Kyle Fletcher vs. Mark Briscoe in the Owen Hart Men's Tournament Quarterfinal: These two have crazy chemistry together and always just kill it; meeting #4 was no different.
Chris Jericho (c) vs. Bandido for the ROH World Championship: SHOCKINGLY DECENT. Easily the best Jericho match in a long while, goofy false ending shenanigans aside. And even that stuff was all so extremely lucha, it would not surprise me if it was all Bandido's doing. HE IS THE STRONGEST BOY WITH THE PRETTIEST HAIR, NOW PUT ROH ON TV WITH HIM AS CHAMP.
Daniel Garcia (c) vs. Adam Cole for the AEW TNT Championship: And the crowd goes mild. It was pretty good! Cole is also a good fit for the TNT belt, but he's just been so brutally boring since coming back, this feels like a lateral move in terms of my actually caring about the title. Maybe with the Bucks back (SPOILERS) he can go back to being an annoying little shit disturber again, now with a bonus foot full of cadaver bones.
Kenny Omega (c) vs. Ricochet vs. Speedball Bailey for the AEW International Championship: FINALLY, SOME GOOD FUCKING FOOD. Like... this was a solid PPV overall, but that's kinda it? No real classics or anything. This was the only match of the entire six-hour night to ever reach the RRRAAAAAAAAGGGGGGHHHHH tear-my-shirt-off-and-set-fire-to-the-couch highs that were Revolution's stock in tradeuntil that main event. Seriously, this was bonkers and amazing. The worst thing I could say about it is that there's probably a tighter twenty-minute version of it out there, but considering this was, again, the only match of the night to truly hit PEAK BULLSHIT (and it just peaks over and over again), the full uncut version we got, where it feels like all three guys made a list of twenty crazy things they wanted to do and then they just did all sixty in a row, was a VERY welcome treat towards the end of the night. God I'm glad Kenny's back, even as you can see him subtly transitioning his style into something a little less high-impact now that he's north of forty. And Speedball being in AEW just feels so right, I love that I instantly assumed their froggy gear was some video game reference that I just didn't get because all these guys are massive fuckin' nerds (see also: Swerve's Static Shock gear and entrance, NERDS).
Jon Moxley (c) vs. Swerve Strickland for the AEW World Championship: lol hoo boy, I knew people were going to crash out about Swerve losing even though the writing was on the wall (Mox ain't dropping that shit until Y'all In and he never was), but they are really CRASHING OUT about it. And not even for the reasons I assumed? They're mad that he's not a transitional champ for Hangman? That would also have sucked! I am a little wary of this teamup angle they're teasing, Swerve/Hangman vs. Young Bucks at Double or Nothing sounds way too corny and pat for their complicated relationship, but I COULD very much get behind Swerve/Hangman/Kenny/some other Team AEW people vs. Death Riders/Elite in Anarchy in the Arena. But that would mean Hangman not winning the Owen, which I am also opposed to. Why would you put the belt on Ospreay in TEXAS??? Just wait a year and go back to Wembley, he'll still be here! A TEXAS DEATH MATCH WITH HANGMAN IS RIGHT THERE, DON'T YOU FUCK ME ON THIS, BILLY. Also this all pretty much confirms Jack Perry is going to be the wild card, right? Also that the Opps are going to be the ones to take those trios belts, but that was already clear. Should be fun!
I GUESS I SHOULD SAY SOMETHING ABOUT THE ACTUAL MATCH, it was actually pretty okay, despite everyone being BIG MAD about it. Definitely the best Mox main event we've seen in... this entire run, I think? No high concept graps here, just a messy, ugly brawl, where they throw everything at each other before it gets derailed because that is just what happens with the Death Riders. Hangman looking from Swerve... to Mox... to Swerve... deciding who to murder? Swerve including his own burning house in his entrance video? Mwah, so good, please don't just be another boring enemies-to-lovers tag team, boys!
Overall: I guess a 6/10 show? The five-star three-way probably bumps it up to a 7? Not a patch on Revolution, unfortunately, definitely more of a reset-button setup show on our way to Double or Nothing and All In, but still a solid night of graps, and my favourite dirtbag brothers are finally back from their odyssey, so I'm happy. Back to watching the ongoing meltdown over it!
Okay, I have successfully lobbied my manager to leave an hour early for... reasons. Monday Mystery Movie, here I come!
I really need to buy paid time again. I need more wrasslin' icons.
Nick Wayne & CRU vs. AR Fox & Top Flight: Solid opener, got the crowd hyped (and that Philadelphia crowd was HOT), lots of flippy bullshit to start the night right in an otherwise very wrestling-lite preshow. I wish I lived in the world where Kip and Leila could have a singles match.
Max Caster Open Challenge: BOWEEEEEENS. I was hoping their eventual confrontation would be a bigger deal, but I guess they can have a proper singles feud and blowoff now instead of just a quick open challenge preshow squash. Loving his new look and presentation, and I wish him the world.
-----
Will Ospreay vs. Kevin Knight in the Owen Hart Men's Tournament Quarterfinal: A banger! I think Knight's going to be a really solid addition to the roster, hopefully he finds a bit more of an identity here for himself than he did in New Japan. Mostly this just made me sad that Jay's injured, though. :(
The Hurt Syndicate (c) vs. Big Bill & Bryan Keith for the AEW World Tag Team Championship: Pretty fun! I hope those two move on from the Learning Tree now, though; it's an easy way to keep them on TV, but there's just nothing there anymore.
Mercedes Moné vs. Julia Hart in the Owen Hart Women's Tournament Quarterfinal: Killed it! I really like Julia's new pants. Mercedes is so damn good at this whole wrestling thing, like, there was no way in hell she was ever losing this match, but I STILL totally bit on some of those holds and near-falls. Statlander/Rosa should have been on the card, too, though; it's bullshit that the men's Owen got two kickoff matches here and the women got one. The booking of the women's division has gotten so much better over the last year, but this tournament always underlines exactly how lopsided things remain. I hope Mercedes winning with the seatbelt was a shoutout to Orange Cassidy, GET WELL SOON, KING.
Death Riders (c) vs. Rated FTR for the AEW World Trios Championship: FUCKING FINALLY. FTR should always be heels, they're just so aggressively annoying and boring when they're trying to be good guys. Fucking around with the neck brace and the gurney after the match was legit the first time I've enjoyed anything they've done in years. Also, it's goddamn hilarious how much Philadelphia hates Wheel Yuta, poor kid's got the most heat since the rise of Don Callis. TIME FOR CHRISTIAN TO SWOOP DRAMATICALLY BACK INTO HIS BROKEN-DOWN BETRAYED EX-HUSBAND'S LIFE, YES? YES????
Toni Storm (c) vs. Megan Bayne for the AEW Women's World Championship: BANGERRRRRRRR. What a big strong bitch she is! Love how Toni's still managing to evolve and innovate and absolutely slay from month to month when her whole character initially seemed pretty one-note and the feud of her career is now in the rearview. SHE REALLY IS FUCKING TIMELESS. Fantastic ending, too; when Megan kicked out at one after two hip attacks and a storm zero, it's like... what the fuck do you even DO after that??? Get a sneaky rollup win, obviously, to keep the Megasus as a total beast. I need her and Kris to just completely go on tandem tears for the rest of the year and then have a giant hoss fight at Worlds End. The little golden laurel leaves on her top were a good start, but I'mma need Penelope to lean further into the gimmick if she's gonna be a Greek goddess' flunky, though. What did Luther do with her???
Kyle Fletcher vs. Mark Briscoe in the Owen Hart Men's Tournament Quarterfinal: These two have crazy chemistry together and always just kill it; meeting #4 was no different.
Chris Jericho (c) vs. Bandido for the ROH World Championship: SHOCKINGLY DECENT. Easily the best Jericho match in a long while, goofy false ending shenanigans aside. And even that stuff was all so extremely lucha, it would not surprise me if it was all Bandido's doing. HE IS THE STRONGEST BOY WITH THE PRETTIEST HAIR, NOW PUT ROH ON TV WITH HIM AS CHAMP.
Daniel Garcia (c) vs. Adam Cole for the AEW TNT Championship: And the crowd goes mild. It was pretty good! Cole is also a good fit for the TNT belt, but he's just been so brutally boring since coming back, this feels like a lateral move in terms of my actually caring about the title. Maybe with the Bucks back (SPOILERS) he can go back to being an annoying little shit disturber again, now with a bonus foot full of cadaver bones.
Kenny Omega (c) vs. Ricochet vs. Speedball Bailey for the AEW International Championship: FINALLY, SOME GOOD FUCKING FOOD. Like... this was a solid PPV overall, but that's kinda it? No real classics or anything. This was the only match of the entire six-hour night to ever reach the RRRAAAAAAAAGGGGGGHHHHH tear-my-shirt-off-and-set-fire-to-the-couch highs that were Revolution's stock in trade
Jon Moxley (c) vs. Swerve Strickland for the AEW World Championship: lol hoo boy, I knew people were going to crash out about Swerve losing even though the writing was on the wall (Mox ain't dropping that shit until Y'all In and he never was), but they are really CRASHING OUT about it. And not even for the reasons I assumed? They're mad that he's not a transitional champ for Hangman? That would also have sucked! I am a little wary of this teamup angle they're teasing, Swerve/Hangman vs. Young Bucks at Double or Nothing sounds way too corny and pat for their complicated relationship, but I COULD very much get behind Swerve/Hangman/Kenny/some other Team AEW people vs. Death Riders/Elite in Anarchy in the Arena. But that would mean Hangman not winning the Owen, which I am also opposed to. Why would you put the belt on Ospreay in TEXAS??? Just wait a year and go back to Wembley, he'll still be here! A TEXAS DEATH MATCH WITH HANGMAN IS RIGHT THERE, DON'T YOU FUCK ME ON THIS, BILLY. Also this all pretty much confirms Jack Perry is going to be the wild card, right? Also that the Opps are going to be the ones to take those trios belts, but that was already clear. Should be fun!
I GUESS I SHOULD SAY SOMETHING ABOUT THE ACTUAL MATCH, it was actually pretty okay, despite everyone being BIG MAD about it. Definitely the best Mox main event we've seen in... this entire run, I think? No high concept graps here, just a messy, ugly brawl, where they throw everything at each other before it gets derailed because that is just what happens with the Death Riders. Hangman looking from Swerve... to Mox... to Swerve... deciding who to murder? Swerve including his own burning house in his entrance video? Mwah, so good, please don't just be another boring enemies-to-lovers tag team, boys!
Overall: I guess a 6/10 show? The five-star three-way probably bumps it up to a 7? Not a patch on Revolution, unfortunately, definitely more of a reset-button setup show on our way to Double or Nothing and All In, but still a solid night of graps, and my favourite dirtbag brothers are finally back from their odyssey, so I'm happy. Back to watching the ongoing meltdown over it!
Okay, I have successfully lobbied my manager to leave an hour early for... reasons. Monday Mystery Movie, here I come!
I really need to buy paid time again. I need more wrasslin' icons.