Welcome to an all new edition of Blogs Count Anywhere, the complementary pro wrestling blog to the ODPH podcast & 607TWS on Twitch. For this edition, it’s been a relatively quieter week than usual. Arguably the biggest story is multiple reports of Cody Rhodes signing to the WWE. This really has been an interesting topic to watch. However, until we see him in a WWE ring, fans won’t see the real reaction until that moment. If/whgen it happens, I’ll deep dive into my thoughts on the Rhodeslander’s landing spot. If you’re an AEW fan, I’m sure you have feelings about it as well, but there’s a lot to be excited about with All Elite Wrestling that SHOULD be where the attention needs to be focused on.
Photo Credit: ALL ELITE WRESTLING
On Wednesday’s “AEW Dynamite”, Thunder Rosa FINALLY captured the Women’s World title from Britt Baker in a Steel Cage Match. Their match is almost 1 year to the date of their epic St, Patrick’s Street Fight which was a Match Of The Year Candidate in 2021. The story line to make this happen was a bit confusing as Rosa lost to Baker at AEW Revolution only to get the 3rd match after winning a world title eliminator bout 3 days after.
No matter how we got here, the fact is we got here! Fans finally got #ANDNEW! For Rosa, who’s one of the best on the planet, defeating Baker in San Antonio (her current home base) & that crowd’s reaction was worth the wait. The match was solid and now the door is open for some new matches for the belt. With Baker being so dominant in her title reign, most challengers were one and done in a title program. Rosa as champion opens up quite a few possibilities of programs to run.
One rumored idea floated around was Rosa against TBS Champion Jade Cargill, but I don’t see that happening. It’s way too early for “Champ vs. Champ.” For where I think we’re going is into a program with a new version of Kris Statlander. With the new vignettes, it appears Statlander might be turning heel which would make for a great opponent for Rosa to start her reign against.
Another long shot idea would be setting up Rosa for a Match of The Year candidate against Ring Of Honor champion Deanna Purrazzo. Since AEW & ROH now have the same owner, the idea isn’t out of possibility. This could be something to watch out for at Supercard of Honor, but there’s already one dream match made there. Not sure if we will have this one made there too. Regardless of that, the Thunder Rosa era with the title has begun. With all the hard work and excitement that Rosa has added to that division, giving her the belt is long overdue and now a new chapter in AEW starts….
Photo Credit: ALL ELITE WRESTLING
Wednesday also brought back the much hyped return of Matt & Jeff, The Hardys to tag team action. Their match with Private Party went as expected (along with an assist from Darby Allin & Sting post match) & has now set up for an 8 man Tag team match on the next AEW Dynamite against the rest of the AFO. At first glance, teaming with Darby & Sting is fun for a quick second, but hopefully not leading to another faction. After this match, Matt & Jeff need to get something going against another tag team or we’re looking at a “Stadium Stampede” type blow off match down the road.
While this makes sense short term, stretching this story line out long term isn’t helping anyone out imo. The Hardys should start working up the rankings for a title shot ASAP. Darby & Sting are….. Darby & Sting. It is what it is there. Plus, Andrade just took over the HFO. Let him build that up in his vision and go from there. No matter what, Matt & Jeff need to strike while the buzz is there and get a program started for a run at the belts. Anything else is just wasting time at this stage.
Photo Credit: ALL ELITE WRESTLING
Speaking of time wasting, I wasn’t a huge fan of the Jericho Appreciation Society (JAS) segment this week. For dismantling the Inner Circle, AEW’s first faction, only to roll it out as whatever this is going to be just didn’t click. 2.0 & Daniel Garcia now are in a prime story for them to grow. That’s a plus, especially for Garcia but the whole “I Am a sports entertainer” skit just made this new group feel like a reset of someone else’s character taking shots at a certain other federation. Maybe it was a subtle jab at the Cody stories? Either way, not the best first impression to make with “Inner Circle 2.0”
Photo Credit: RING OF HONOR WRESTLING
This past week, Ring Of Honor finally made an announcement that fans have been waiting to hear. After weeks of back and forth along with an encounter at “Final Battle”, the match has been made! BRISCOES VS. FTR is set for April 1st at Supercard of Honor! Expect fireworks and a lot of buzz coming from this match. Two of the best tag teams on the planet are finally squaring off. What, if anyhting, this means for Ring Of Honor moving forward is anyone’s guess but this card just brought some new eyes onto the product in April. Make sure to save that date if you haven’t already. For more info: ROHWrestling.com.
Photo Credit: Circle 6
Lastly, On Saturday night, Circle 6 ran their first ever show: Circle 6 Skewered on Twitch. This was the new promotion that Atticus Cogar was connected with revolving around his fallout with GCW. New company, new set of rules and a very stacked lineup for free on Twitch? No way I was missing that. Initial reaction is the in-ring work was great. Christopher Daniels vs. RSP & Biff Busick vs. Brody King really stand out. Unfortunately, it was over shadowed by a delay in starting & multiple stream crashes. Being on the east coast, I didn’t check the chance to watch after intermission (it started around 1:30am).
Eventually, the show stream went off Twitch (reasons) but from what I saw, I was very happy with the product. There are many things production wise (imo) that need to be fixed before next show: Streaming, audio, etc. but if you get the chance to check this product out, do it. Keep an eye on their social media for more news on further events.
That’s all for this week. Hit me up on Twitter and let me know what wrestling you’ve been checking out.
As always, thanks for reading and supporting 607 Podcasts & the ODPH!