SARAYA HAS RETURNED?!/IMPACT WRESTLING: VICTORY ROAD/GLORY PRO: PAGEANT 2

Welcome to an all new edition of Blogs Count Anywhere, the complementary pro wrestling blog to the ODPH Podcast and 607TWS. The wrestling world is buzzing for two different reasons on Friday, September 23rd. One is the rumored return of Bray Wyatt to Smackdown (and I do stress RUMORED). The other is part 2 of AEW Grand Slam with a 2hr AEW Rampage starting at 10pm EST on TNT. It has a lot of pressure to be as good as night 1 was, because the headlines coming out of AEW Dynamite that night has the IWC talking. Let’s take a quick look at the results from Night 1 of AEW Grand Slam, shall we?

Photo Credit: All Elite Wreslting

The biggest shock of Wednesday was the return to wrestling of SARAYA (fka Paige in the WWE). No one, and I mean NO ONE saw this coming. For some who might not know, Saraya was one of the ground breakers for the women’s division revolution in WWE when she was in NXT. You should remember the absolute classic match between her and Emma on the first hyped NXT special. On her debut to the WWE main roster, Saraya defeated AJ Lee to win the Divas Championship night after Wrestlemania. First night as champion makes aloud and deserved statement. From when you saw her in the ring, there is no question of how great Saraya was. Her story was chronicled in the 2019 movie “Fighting With My Family”

Unfortunately, due to a neck injury, she was forced to step down from in ring competition. Saraya made a successful transition to Smackdown GM and WWE broadcasting work, along with becoming quite successful on Twitch streaming. It was announced that Saraya was parting ways with WWE this past July. Seeing her emerge on AEW has the wrestling world definitely talking.

If she is 100% healthy and can wrestle, this is a HUGE win for AEW. Saraya is a bonifide superstar. She can elevate the division and just wait for the matches vs. Serena Deeb and Britt Baker. However, before getting hopes up, we don’t know the status of her neck and what Saraya we will see. Anytime dealing with an injury like she had raises cause for concern. I really want to see her succeed and hoping this will be a comeback ala Edge because she’s an amazing talent and deserves the chance to write her own ending to her wrestling career. Fingers crossed Saraya and fans get to see that chapter made.

Photo Credit: All Elite Wreslting

Another big moment was Chris Jericho winning the Ring Of Honor world title. This is his 8th world championship. The question now is where do we go from here? Taking the belt from Claudio Castangoli so soon after he debuted in AEW/ROH might raise some eyebrows. IMO, I see why this went down. IF (and stressing IF) ROH is getting some TV time, Jericho has star power to his name and will bring in viewers more than Claudio at this stage. Plus, this is another notch on the “G.O.A.T.” Championship talk surrounding “The Wizard".” Long term, I don’t see him holding it past an inevitable match with Daniel Garcia and their stroyline’s conclusion. Either way, fans will be watching the next moves regardless.

Photo Credit: All Elite Wreslting

Not to be outdone, Jon Moxley defeated Bryan Danielson to become AEW champion for a record 3rd time. With all the drama surrounding CM Punk, phasing his name out of the record books and adding one of he most passionate AEW wrestlers in its place spoke volumes. The only question now is: How soon before MJF cashes in and will this happen before he faces Nick Gage in GCW in the title vs. career match October 8th? those are the two most important questions coming from the epic main event.

Photo Credit: All Elite Wreslting

Last but certainly not least, The Acclaimed became AEW world tag team champions defeating Swerve Strickland and Keith Lee. The fan movement has been strong for Caster and Bowens and maybe this move was too telegraphed after AEW All Out’s fallout, but take nothing away from the team. They cashed in at the biggest points in their careers. The “Scissor Me” movement is going strong. The only thing that looks to derail their run is the long awaited title shot for FTR. Guessing that could main event AEW Full Gear.

Photo Credit: Impact Wreslting

Photo Credit: Glory Pro Wreslting

There is some great indie action to close the weekend out on. Impact Wrestling has “Victory Road” taking place on September 23rd. The main event: “Barbed Wire Massacre” with Moose vs. Steve Maclin vs. Sami Callihan (Live on Fite TV)! You don’t want to miss that!

On September 25th, Glory Pro Wrestling returns to the Pageant in St. Louis for a star-studded show. Make sure you’re following their YouTube page if you can’t make it live to the event. They always have a great card & banking on this to be one fans will be talking about!

That’s it for this week, but hit me up on Twitter and let me know what pro-wrestling you’re checking out and make sure to listen to the latest ODPH and 607TWS for more wrestling content. Thanks for reading!

MJF IS DYNAMITE/TALES FROM THE RING/GCW LIVERPOOL

Welcome to an all new edition of Blogs Count Anywhere, the complementary Pro Wrestling Blog to the ODPH podcast and 607 TWS. All the buzz in the pro wrestling world has been focused on the AEW All Out “Gripe Bomb” fallout. Make sure to check out the 607TWS special edition: AEW Reborn for a closer look at that incident. Now a week removed and the major players involved (that we know of) currently off TV until further notice, how does the landscape shape up now for All Elite Wrestling? This is what the fans SHOULD be talking about. Let's take a closer look and see, shall we?

MJF

Photo Credit: All Elite Wrestling

AEW Dynamite kicked off with the prodigal sun returning: MJF to start the show. After closing out “All Out” with a subtle knod he was going for the AEW world title, this was the first time fans heard form him in months since his own incident at “Double Or Nothing”. With Tony Khan vacating the AEW world title (along with the Trios Tag titles due to the “All Out” incident), fans were wondering how “The Salt Of The Earth” fit into plans. MJF opened up playing to the Buffalo crowd and cut a great face promo, only to turn back into heel mode when Jon Moxley hit the ring. MJF made sure to remind everyone that has has a guaranteed title shot whenever and wherever he chooses before leaving the ring.

This was a perfect way to bring him back to the fans for the most part. No stranger to controversy, MJF had the fans watching eating out of the palms of his hands. Getting the attention off Punk, Omega and the Bucks was needed. The talk shifted to when is MJF going to cash in. However, It wasn’t without its’ questionable moments. MJF threw in a line about (paraphrasing) leaving and joining Cody Rhodes in WWE. In a time where AEW needed to stabilize their image, having one of their biggest stars talking about leaving for a rival promotion might not have been the best time. He was a heel doing heel things, but perception is reality and took some luster away from the segment. Luckily, someone else came in and squashed any buzz from that punchline (for now).

Jon Moxley

Photo Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Jon Moxley crashed the segment and addressed him losing the AEW title during the promo with MJF. Moxley also led off with a passionate promo rallying fans around the company. It’s been no secret since Mox has joined up with AEW, he has been doing some of his best promos of his career. With the company reeling in the PR department, Mox cut the best one needed to steady the ship. It made even the most jaded AEW haters take notice. Hearing how emotional he got for AEW was what their fanbase needed to hear. No one talking of leaving. No one talking of going to join HHH. No more distractions. Mox’s speech has now set the direction for the world title tourney heading to AEW Grand Slam later in the month. In a week of turmoil, this was the right message to send the fans before starting the next phase.

Daniel Garcia

Photo Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Overall. AEW Dynamite might have been their best show in quite some time. Not overwhelming with wasted promo segments, the show had 2 great main events: Hangman Page and Bryan Danielson along with the ROH Pure title on the line with Buffalo native Daniel Garcia finally defeating rival Wheeler Yuta to win the prize. It’s a big moment as Garcia seems to be finally making the breakout that fans are waiting for someone to do. Other than HOOK lately, who has been a homegrown talent to make the leap? Page, MJF and Darby are all from the original signing class. Wardlow shortly after that, but since there has been a big void. Garcia appears that maybe him along with Ricky Starks will be that next wave. Working along side Chris Jericho can only help. The current storyline with JAS vs. BCC for Garcia’s loyalty has been decent but should only get better with the title change but can’t slow down now. Not doubting we get Garcia vs. Guevara happening form this. Never the less, Congrats to the new champ.

Samoa Joe

Photo Credit: All Elite Wrestling

In a nice surprise, AEW Rampage also had one of their stronger shows in recent memory as well. ROH Champion Claudio Castangoli defeated Dax from FTR, Serena Deeb won against Madison Rayne and Samoa Joe is now back on TV setting up some matches for the ROH title. IMO, just rename AEW Rampage to ROH Rampage and let the talent shine. This capped off a great rebound for the company by making fans talk about the in-ring work, instead of the out of ring drama. Fingers crossed, this is the start of more great wrestling programming to come.

Photo Credit: Pro Wrestling Revolver

Pro Wrestling Revolver has an insane card set for September 17th with “Tales From The Ring".” AEW Tag Team Champs Swerve Strickland and Keith Lee will be on the card against Rich Swann and Matt Palmer, Impact Wrestling Champ Josh Alexander is facing the 1 called Manders, Speedball Mike Bailey has an open challenge 6-way for the X-division title and much more! Don’t miss this PWR card as it’s available on Fite TV! It’s well worth the price of admission!

Photo Credit: Game Changer Wrestling

Game Changer Wrestling gets ready for a whirlwind tour stretching over the next few weeks starting up in the UK on September 16th. It’s a very stacked card with EFFY, Matt Cardona, Joey Janela and others making this tour. personally, I can’t wait to see Blake Christian vs Jordan Oliver. The event will be streamed on Fite TV so make sure you’re following GCW on socials so you don’t miss this event.

Photo Credit: Major League Wrestling

Lastly, MLW just added a major match for its’ Super Series show happening September 18th in Atlanta. Shun Skywalker (from DragonGate) is challenging MLW Middleweight champion Myron Reed. Another excellent match added to this card, so make sure you’re following MLW for all the latest.

That’s all the pro wrestling talk for this week’s blog. Hit me up on Twitter and let me know what pro wrestling we should be talking about here & don’t miss the next addition of 607TWS! Thanks for reading.

COUNTDOWN TO AEW ALL OUT/MLW SUPER SERIES/ GCW SECOND CITY SUMMIT

Welcome to an all new edition of Blogs Count Anywhere, the complementary pro wrestling blog to the ODPH podcast and 607 TWS. This might be a shorter blog than ususal since a LOT was discussed on this week’s 607TWS. That said, All eyes in the wrestling world are waiting for and watching AEW this week as its’ their HUGE “All Out” weekend. There has been some moves that have raised some eyebrows going into the big show Sunday, September 4th hailing from Chicago and available on pay-per-view via Bleacher Report & standard cable outlets in the USA (Fite TV for international viewers). Let’s take a look at a few that play a big part on the road to the show, shall we?

CM PUNK/Jon Moxley

Photo Credit: All Elite Wrestling (Lee South)

The Main Event for “All Out” was presented FOR FREE on AEW Dynamite this week as CM Punk returned to face Jon Moxley in a unification bout. Punk “was injured” and squashed in a 3 min match. The fallout has become a vacancy in the main event slot for Sunday. Moxley is scheduled to talk on this week’s Dynamite so we can speculate that his opponent will be named. As mentioned on the show this week, the only name you can plug and play with is Samoa Joe.

Rumors of Adam Page and MJF won’t have the same big name push to sell a $50 show to fans on the fence of buying it. Adam Cole is still out. Claudio is in the same faction as Moxley so that wouldn’t make sense. Joe is instant credibility and will be something new for fans to watch. I fear that it will be a set-up to get Punk back in the main slot (as he could win the casino ladder match) and try recapturing some old ROH magic. If so, the lasting picture of putting the Mox vs Punk match on 2 weeks prior will (imo) be known as a huge misfire, esp before the biggest show of the year. That was the best match to make for the show. Giving it away for free might have been more costly than anyone realizes.

Will O’spreay and Aussie Open

Photo Credit: All Elite Wrestling (Lee South)

Another interesting story is who will be in the Trios Tournament finals. On AEW Dynamite this week, Will O’spreay and Aussie Open will challenge Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks. The winner goes on to face the Dark order in the finals on Sunday. Given the history between O’Spreay and Omega, this could be a treacherous line to walk. Both have been taking shots on social media with the Billy G.O.A.T. taking some deeper cuts. Pending on how this goes, The Elite would be featured against the underdogs of 10, Silver and Reynolds. Maybe we will have an upset thrown our way? Wednesday will give some clarity on where this is headng but that match should be generating noteworthy buzz.

Reba, Britt Baker DMD and Jaime Hayter

Photo Credit: All Elite Wrestling (Lee South)

Thunder Rosa is out for defending her AEW Women’s title at the show due to injury. Her match has now ben made a fatal 4 way with Britt Baker, Shida, Jaime Hayter and Toni Storm. Safe money is Toni Storm to win since she was the original opponent for Rosa at All Out, but not doubting a surprise in Hayter pulling a quick win off. Baker is the most over wrestler in the women’ division so I wouldn’t be shocked if she did but thinking it’s Storm’s time. Should be a great match regardless.

Brody King, Malakai Black and Buddy Matthews

Photo Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Lastly…. wtf happened to the House of Black? An early odds on favorite to go to the AEW Trios Finals, they were upset by the Dark Order thanks to Miro interference. Now, it appears to seem they will be facing Miro, Darby Allin and STING at the show. This is the second time in recent months that the much hyped faction has missed out on winning some championships. It feels like such a letdown that they haven’t gone over more. Hoping that they will finally land a championship before years’ end. It’s long overdue.

MLW: Super Series

Credit: Major League Wrestling

Major League Wrestling has announced Hammerstone vs. Bandido for it’s Super Series card on September 18th in Atlanta, GA. This card will be one not to miss so make sure you keep an eye out on MLW socials for more information.

GCW Second City Summit

Credit: Game Changer Wrestling

Game Changer Wrestling has a HUGE weekend in their own right going on with the Second City Summit. All 4 of these cards are must watch and personally, I can’t wait to see “The Art Of War Games” going down September 3rd with a WILD Tag Team War Games match to close out. Order the bundle on Fite TV now and don’t miss all the action!

That’s all the pro wrestling talk for now. Make sure to listen to the latest 607TWS on all the 607 podcasts channels this week for more detailed topics. hit me up on Twitter and let me know what you’re watching this weekend. As always, Thanks for Reading!

MANCE vs. MOXLEY/ GCW HOMECOMING/ IMPACT WRESTLING EMERGENCE

Welcome to an all new edition of Blogs Count Anywhere, the complementary pro wrestling blog to the ODPH podcast and 607TWS. The aftermath of Triple H’s first week in the WWE creative office has been a staple on many wrestling fans’ social media this week. While it is a big move (one that will be discussed on all the 607 podcasts this week), there were some big moments that flew under the radar to casual fans. One of which was this epic match for AEW Rampage: AEW Intern world champ JON MOXLEY taking on the one and only MANCE WARNER! Let’s discuss this and more topics, shall we?

MANCE WARNER

Photo Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Why was this such a big match you might ask? In case you’re not familiar, Mance is a very well known wrestler on the independent scene. Mance can go in the ring and also cut great promos as seen with his Rampage hype video. Some may know “The Southern Psycho” from his work in MLW, but (imo) he is more associated with being a member of the Second Gear Crew in Game Changer Wrestling. Speaking of GCW, Jon Moxley just happens to be the world champion there as well. The match was exceptionally good with Moxley retaining the title. Getting talent from the hottest indie promotion on mainstream television is a huge win, not just for GCW, but for AEW as well.

For a company that gears a good majority of its promotion towards the internet wrestling community (IWC), AEW continuing the “Forbidden Door” mentality is a way to keep fans attention on the product, especially with all the changes in WWE. Why not showcase some of the roster making the biggest waves on the scene? Granted, this isn’t the first time GCW and AEW have crossed paths. Most notably: Nick Gage wrestled Chris Jericho on AEW Dynamite and At “Ring of Honor: Death Before Dishonor”, a pre-show match featured Tony Deppen, Alex Zayne (both pictured below) and Blake Christian. All of which have been staples of the GCW roster.

Tony Deppen & Alex Zayne

Photo Credit: All Elite Wrestling

From this exposure, both companies should see some momentum picked up. In AEW’s case, seeing GCW fans eyes come to the product is a big plus. According to early reports, AEW Rampage ratings were around 431,000 viewers, which is up significantly (IMO) from where they’ve been. If you listen to any of the 607 Podcasts, you know I’m not one that lives and dies about ratings but it is noteworthy about the increase from this match. Ol’ Mancer might have lost the match but there was quite the internet buzz about it. AEW would be wise to capitalize on this and try factoring more matches like this into their AEW/ROH programing. The more eyes on the product, the better.

In GCW’s case, this still a win. While not mentioned on air, fans hit the net to start searching Mance and I’m sure that GCW popped up frequently. This never hurts a brand that continues to grow and set the bar for indie promotions right now. With their “Wrestlemania”-esque card coming up this week with GCW Homecoming, an extra boost in PPV buys wouldn’t be surprising. From the match quality to story telling to all things in-between, GCW has earned their buzz. When their name is associated with a wrestling show, fans will tune in. Proof is right here with the Rampage match. Don’t doubt some new fans jumping on the bandwagon after this past Friday night.

Jon Moxley

Photo Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Moxley has a busy week lined up for himself. He has a big rematch with Chris Jericho on AEW Dynamite on Wednesday and Saturday night, he defends the GCW world title vs. EFFY! Since claiming the intern title, Moxley has been very active. Featuring the champ on AEW TV is a huge plus. The GCW match will be the more compelling match of the week. There is much more to break down there than the Jericho rematch. We might see an upset on Wednesday but guessing that things will remain steady heading towards ALL OUT on Sept. 3rd. Hopefully we hear who Mox will be facing: A returning CM Punk or don’t doubt Kenny Omega being added there in replacement.

Madison Rayne

Photo Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Last bit of AEW news: It was announced that Madison Rayne will be joining AEW as a coach in their women’s division. I think this is a great move. Rayne is well known from her time in the Impact Wrestling Knockouts division. Bringing her knowledge and experience to AEW should benefit immensely. Rayne is hitting the ground running and is scheduled to wrestle TBS Champion Jade Cargill on Wednesday. Not a bad way to make an impact (no pun intended) the first week.

GCW Homecoming

Photo Credit: Game Changer Wrestling

As previously mentioned on the blog, GCW has their premiere event unfolding from Atlantic City this weekend with GCW Homecoming. Last year, the wresting world was set on fire as Matt Cadona upset Nick Gage to win the GCW title, in one of the best storylines in all of pro wrestling. For this year, all eyes are on the GCW championship as Jon Moxley defends against EFFY! Since winning the belt late last year, <ox has torn thru all challengers in some classic matches. Will Effy finally be the one to get the title off him, or if not, will it be a rematch with Nick Gage down the road? Buy the bundle from Fite TV and don’t miss it!

Impact Wrestling: Emergence (Steve Maclin and Sami Callihan)

Photo Credit: Impact Wrestling

Last bit of pro-wrestling news: This Friday night, Impact Wrestling has a great card hailing from Chicago: Emergence! This event is featuring Honor No More vs. Bullet Club, Knockouts champ Jordynne Grace vs Mia Yim, Impact world Champ Josh Alexander vs. Alex Shelley and Steve Maclin vs Sami Callihan ! The event can be viewed on Impact Plus ! You definitely want to catch this card if possible.

That’s all the pro wrestling talk for the blog this week. Hit me up on Twitter and let me know what wrestling you’re watching. For more coverage, check out the ODPH and 607TWS podcasts this week.

Thanks for reading.

AEW FIGHT FOR THE FALLEN FALLOUT/ THE PEOPLE VS. GCW/ GP LIVE AT THE PAGEANT 2

Welcome to an all new edition of Blogs Count Anywhere, the complementary pro wrestling blog to the ODPH Podcast and 607TWS. This week has been pretty heavily dominated by WWE news. Whether it’s been Vince McMahon “retiring”, Triple H taking over creative or SummerSlam on July 30th (8pm EST Peacock Streaming), majority of headlines and coverage of pro wrestling has been focused there. For this blog, I’m highlighting some moments that fans should be keeping their eyes on. AEW started the week with their “Fight For The Fallen” event. During this event, $100,000 was donated by to Oceana, an organization devoted to ocean conservation. If any fans are interested in donating as well, check out Oceana.org/donate. For there, it was all wrestling as some story lines look to be forming for three noteworthy competitors. Let’s check it out, shall we?

Claudio Castagnoli

Photo Credit: All Elite Wrestling

First off was Claudio Castagnoli. After winning the Ring Of Honor world title from Jonathan Gresham (with a whole lot of rumored drama behind the scenes), Claudio came out on AEW Rampage to address the fans. This was a cool moment as Claudio has always been a favorite to fans for his uncanny strength and abilities. Seeing him with his first singles world title was a great moment. Claudio’s first challenger was announced as Konosuke Takeshita is slated to wrestle Claudio at AEW Battle Of The Belts 3 on August 6th (TNT Network 8pm EST).

This will be an excellent match as Takeshita has been putting on some great matches in AEW along with the indies. Featuring Claudio on the show also helps this show, which (in theory) is a showcase of champions. The previous times have felt somewhat lackluster. The first BotB featured Sammy Guevara as TNT champ, Britt Baker as AEW women’s champ & “FTW”, a title fans are confused at its placement in the AEW/ROH landscape, champion Ricky Starks. The latest one featured AEW women’s champion Thunder Rosa vs. Nyla Rose in an excellent match, TNT Champion Scorpio Sky vs. Sammy Guevara and ROH world Champion Gresham vs Dalton Castle. The in-ring work has never been a question with these cards but the major hurdle (imo) has been building enough of storylines prior to the shows so that fans tune in on Saturday nights to watch. Trying to sell fans on watching an FTW title match when it’s been rarely seen as a viable title (Hook’s winning it this week might chang things. Wait and see) is tough. Throw in a lack of push (imo again) at the time for Rosa’s initial run as champ and introducing Gresham to the masses where he may not be as well known as he is on the IWC is extremely difficult.

What would be the smart play here is feature on AEW tv or YouTube specials an “embedded” series like the UFC uses for hyping up pay-per-view cards. A behind the scenes look at training and prep for the matches. Give this card a “Big Fight Feel” would work wonders. These are supposed to be special events, so make them special. Guessing the card will be Claudio/Takeshita as main, Thunder Rosa defending against either Toni Storm or a Nyla Rose rematch from BotB 2, and Wardlow defending TNT against Scorpio Sky. It’s a solid card to showcase if in unfolds like this and AEW really needs to drive that home to their fan base. At the very least, it helps ROH get more TV with their champion. It’s a win for Claudio so lets see how he runs with the ball as your ROH Champion on August 6th.

Ricky Strks

Photo Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Another noteworthy moment from this week was Ricky Starks made some big waves on AEW programming. After “losing” the FTW title to Hook in an impromptu open challenge after defeating Danhausen, Starks cut a fantastic emotional promo on the mic. It was abruptly ended by PowerHouse Hobbs turning on him and leaving him face down in the ring. As weird as this may sound, this was a BIG win for one of AEW’s future stars.

Starks had become lost in the shuffle until recently. “Team Taz” was once a faction with potential, but as time has gone on, it became an after thought. Brian Cage departed for (eventually) ROH. Hook became a fan-favorite and went his own way. Taz has been doing more commentary (which is another big win). That left Hobbs and Starks to become a formidable tag team. After feuding with Strickland and Lee, they wound up in a 3-way dance for the AEW Tag Titles. They fell short but had a great outing in the match. After this, a question I’ve had is where do they go from here as a team? The division is over loaded with talent and ROH isn’t on TV (yet). Starks has had all the tools to break out on his own and after this feud with Hobbs is done, Starks should be given a jet pack towards a program for the TNT title. I would LOVE to see him and Wardlow at Full Gear in November, but mark my words: Sooner than later, Starks will be a featured player on the AEW title landscape.

Stokley Hathaway and Lee Moriarty

Photo Credit: All Elite Wrestling

FINALLY! Lee Moriarty, one of the best wrestlers on the planet appears to have something in the works to get more TV time. On AEW Rampage, he turned on former mentor Matt Sydel and joined up with Stokley Hathaway as his representative (ala Paul Heyman to Roman Reigns). Since he debuted in AEW, Moriarty has been relegated to spots here and there with more recent activity involving the ROH brand. last we saw, he was used to get Jonathan Gresham’s “heel” turn over to set up the ROH ppv. Plus, Stokley will add some charisma to any storyline he’s in. Take a look at the impact he’s had with Jade Cargill. With Stokley at Moriarty’s side, I feel this means big things for one of the best kept secrets in AEW/ROH.

Daniel Garcia

Photo Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Last but of AEW talk for the blog: Daniel Garcia got a HUGE win over the returning Bryan Danielson on AEW Dynamite this week. The only drawback from this match is the story told was playing up too much (imo) to Danielson’s health issues. That aside, this was a fantastic match for another wrestler on AEW/ROH that needed a big win like that. With two factions getting a lot of programming time and often compared to heavily, Garcia is benchmarked against current ROH Pure champion Wheeler Yuta. These two had a great match (not a great ending imo) at ROH Death Before Dishonor, but seeing Garcia get the W here takes away from the sting of that loss in many fan’s minds. Nothing wrong with that.

Bryan Danielson and Daniel Garcia

Photo Credit: All Elite Wrestling

The People vs. GCW

Photo Credit: Game Changer Wrestling

Taking a lap around the indies, let me go on record & say Game Changer Wresting “The People Vs. GCW” is in contention for card of the year. No question about it. There will be a deeper dive on 607TWS this week, but you need to purchase the replay on Fite.tv and see for yourself. Huge card to lead into Homecoming weekend at the Showboat on August 13th and 14th.

Glory Pro Wrestling: Live at The Pageant 2

Photo Credit: Glory Pro Wrestling

Tickets are moving fast for Glory Pro Wrestling’s return to the Pageant in St. Louis! First 2 rows are completely sold out. If able to go to the show, make sure to get your tickets quickly. If not, make sure to drop that follow on YouTube and don’t miss the action on Sept 25th (5M CST).

MLW Super Series

Photo Credit: Major League Wreslting

Lastly, Major League Wrestling announced it will be heading to Atlanta for its’ Super Series. The date is September 18th for TV tapings with promotions and match announcements coming. For more info: check out MLW.com.

That’s all the pro wrestling talk for this week. What other promotions are you watch? Hit me up on Twitter and let’s talk some pro wrestling. Thanks for reading.

RING OF HONOR RAMPAGES/ GCW SETTLEMENT SERIES/ STL VICE

Welcome to an all new edition of Blogs Count Anywhere, the complementary pro wrestling blog to the ODPH podcast and 607 on Twitch (& podcast form). The Vince McMahon news (again) has put a damper on some of the other noteworthy stories going on. Leading off this edition is one that pro wrestling fan SHOULD be talking about. On this past week’s AEW Rampage, fans were treated to a small reminder that Ring Of Honor isn’t dead, but might be making a claim for that Friday night spot. This is a great move especially heading towards their return under Tony Khan management) to Pay Per View with “Death Before Dishonor”. Let’s recap what’s been happening there, shall we?

Lee Moriarty

Photo Credit: All Elite Wrestling

On Friday, there were 2 matches involving Ring of Honor talent. The Serena Deeb/Mercedes Martinez tag match exploded with Deeb atacking the ROH women’s champ post match, setting up a possible match at the PPV. The other was ROH champion Jonathan Gresham teaming with Lee Moriarty to take on Tully Blanchard’s Gates Of Agony team. Mid match, fans witness Gresham turn his back on Morarty and join up with Tully’s new faction. After the match, it was announced that Moriarty would challenge for the ROH title on ….. next week’s Rampage. Being two weeks out from the July 23rd show from Lowell, MA, there still is no title matches made for the respective world champions.

Mercedes Martinez

Photo Credit: All Elite Wrestling

This is a surprising move in some ways but makes sense in others. All signs point to Martinez defending against Deeb for the women’s belt, which will be fire. Deeb is an instant contender from her history in the NWA and AEW. Her feud with Shida was incredible. Martinez needs a solid feud to grow that division & I think they’vefound the perfect match to get that started. Fully expecting the announcement of this title match made this week and don’t sleep on this match. It could be a MOTY candidate

Ring Of Honor “Death Before Dishonor”

Photo Credit: All Elite Wrestling

As for Gresham, showcasing him more on AEW TV will only make him look better in front of fans who might not know he’s arguably the best technical wrestler on the planet. Doing the match with Moriarty on free TV is a big deal, but only if they’re given enough time to work. They also need a clean finish UNLESS they’re going to run it back at the Pay Per View. This is a main event no matter where you have it. If they decide on not having the rematch at DBD, then who makes the most sense to face the champ? That becomes less clear.

The AEW-led ROH hasn’t really established a roster where there are possible contenders in the mix at this point. Could we see someone from AEW jump over for the night? Sure, but where does that get the promotion until they get more TV? It’s a big question but with a card that is STACKED already (Yuta/Garcia for PURE title, Samoa Joe/Lethal for ROH TV & BRISCOES FTR 2!), sliding in someone in a filler position might not be a bad thing. Hopefully we see Gresham/Moriarty ran back on the PPV….but don’t doubt it’s Claudio taking that spot for the night (or longshot - Johnny Gargano signing?). Either way, ROH is making a run on Friday nights to start. The roster there needs time to grow for a new audience. Optimistic we see the start of it here and build some momentum into the big show on the 23rd.

WARDLOW

Photo Credit: All Elite Wrestling

On Wednesday night, AEW crowned anew TNT champion in WARDLOW! The big man finally got a chance at some AEW gold (post MJF split) and cashed in. From here, fans will be watching the “hot potato title” and see if it changes hands quickly again. One name that is starting to make some noise for a shot is former champ Sammy Guevara. Personally, I don’t want to see this match at this stage. AEW has abrand new “homegrown” talent that is over BIG with their fans. Give him some time to run with this championship. Adding some fresh faces into the title picture can only help here. Why not the House Of Black? Death Triangle? or how bout a Christian Cgae led Luchasaurus? There’s enough talent to go around and build up Wardlow for a run to watch. Congrats.

Eddie Kingston

Photo Credit: All Elite Wrestling

It was also announced that Eddie Kingston will be facing Chris Jericho in a BARBED WIRE DEATHMATCH live on the July 20th edition of Dynamite! Interesting move as the last time tere was a deathmatch on Dynamite, NICK FUCKING GAGE was on the show and there was a VERY mixed reaction from the non deathmatch AEW supporters. Will this mirror the same reaction and what will Warner Bros Discovery brass have to say about this? Wait and see how this one plays out.

Orange Cassidy & DanHausen

Photo Credit: All Elite Wrestling

No real story here. This was a fun match to close AEW Rampage out on. Side note: “JANE” IS BACK AS ORANGE CASSIDY’S MUSIC. ALL IS RIGHT IN THE WORLD!

GCW Settlement Series

Photo Credit: Game Changer Wrestling

In other news, Game Changer Wrestling is kicking off their “Settlement Series” with Independent Wrestling TV with Part 1 on July 10th on IWTV. This has been a messy court case so I’m just happy to see some wrestling come out of this. Akira, Brandon Kirk, Axton Ray and Charles Mason leads this card’s headline so check it out to start your Sunday wrestling off right. Following that show:

JCW Great American Birthday Bash

Photo Credit: JCW/Game Changer Wrestling

Jersey Championship Wrestling will be having their “Great American Birthday Bash” at 6pm on July 10th. This card will be airing for FREE on GCW YouTube! Notable matches here: Tony Deppen vs. Alec Price and Speedball Mike Bailey taking on Axton Ray among a very loaded lineup. Make plans to catch this card!

Photo Credit: Major League Wreslting

It has been announced that Major League Wrestling & beIN Sports have a deal in place to air MLW content on the beIN Sports Extra channel starting on July 8th at 10pm EST. More exposure to wrestling is always a good thing. For more information on this deal, check out MLW.com

Glory Pro Wrestling “STL Vice”

Photo Credit: Glory Pro Wrestling

Last but not least, a card I’m keeping my eye on is Glory Pro Wrestling “STL Vice". It’s shaping up into a very solid card that I’m guessing will be announced to be airing on the GP YouTube channel so make sure to keep your eyes on the Glory Pro Socials for more information.

That’s all the pro wrestling talk for this column. Hit me up on Twitter and let me know what pro wrestling you’re watching. As Always thanks for reading and supporting 607podcasts.

AEW POST FORBIDDEN DOOR/ BLOOD AND GUTS/ GCW ACTION

Welcome back to an all new edition of Blogs Count Anywhere, the complementary pro wrestling blog to the ODPH podcast & 607TWS. It has been a wild week for All Elite Wrestling. This past Sunday was their HUGE co-promoted show with New Japan Pro Wrestling “Forbidden Door”. The event had some great in-ring work from all the competitors but there were a few moments that stand out over others.This evnt led (literally) into a special “Blood & Guts” AEW Dynamite which has fans talking. Let’s break down the highlights and see where these storylines go from here, shall we?

claudio castagnoli

Photo Credit: All Elite Wrestling

The biggest news breaking out of “Forbidden Door” was the AEW debut of Claudio Castagnoli, fka Cesaro in the WWE. Claudio was taking the place of Bryan Danielson, whose is out of action due to injury, against Zach Sabre Jr. at the event. After a great match, Claudio came out at the end of the night of single-handedly waring off the Jericho Appreciation Society in hype of their “Blood And Guts” match on Wednesday. The newly minted member of the Blackpool Combat Club had quite the showing this week in that match. Now the question becomes here do we go from here with the latest signee to an already over-saturated roster?

Short term, Claudio will be featured in programs originally slated for Danielson. This isn’t a bad thing whatsoever. The extremely talented star will have his time to shine right out the gate. However, when Danielson comes back, what happens then. It’s tricky to say, but there are a few directions:

First, Ring Of Honor is returning to pay-per-view later this month with “Death By Dishonor.” It’s possible to see Claudio get shifted over there due to his history with that promotion. Wheeler Yuta is the ROH Pure Champion. Why not have another BCC member be a champion there as well.

Second, and one where I think he should go, is into a program with PAC for the All-Atlantic title. If this belt is geared towards being defended all over the world, why not have Claudio in the mix for that title and travel as an AEW representative. Imagine the dream programs to be had there. The TNT Championship mix would be another great landing spot as well for right now, but getting a new belt over would be something that I feel Claudio would be perfectly suited for.

Lastly, Claudio will be lost in the shuffle like many other recent signings to the AEW roster. I fear this with every new addition to the roster. There is only so much TV time to go around and where will he fit in after Danielson returns and/or there are more signings lurking. It is a problem that hasn’t been addressed yet by AEW (imo) and until it does, everyone has to be ready when its “here today, disappeared tomorrow.”

Its too early to say where, but hopefully AEW's latest addition finds a spot to be permanently featured. Anything less would be a true disservice to all parties involved.

Photo Credit: All Elite Wrestling

As for “Blood And Guts”….This picture sums it up perfectly. A Wild match that was out of control. The sotryline between BCC and the JAS should be done, but remember how many other times have we seen the “Blood And Guts” match be a mid-way point instead of the blow-off match its meant to be?

Jay White

Photo Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Jay White retained the IWGP heavyweight championship against Okada, Adam Page and Adam Cole, who was injured during the match. For anyone that wasn’t sold on how good White is, this match stole the main event title away from the AEW championship. This had the big fight feel to the show & White played into it perfectly. With retaining the belt and is post match scrum comments, it will be interesting when the next time we see King Switch back in AEW. It might be a better question to ask “When and where will AEW see King Switch back in a ring vs. one of their champions?” The idea of their champion traveling to Japan to face him seems more and more likely, which I fully support.

Jon Moxley

Photo Credit: All Elite Wrestling

As for the other main event, Jon Moxley defeated Tanahashi to become the first ever 2x AEW World Champion. Unfortunately, this match felt in the shadow of the IWGP championship match thru it’s entirety. Mox winning was also cut short by Chris Jericho and the JAS crashing the post match celebration to make some buzz for “Blood And Guts”. Bad timing and place for that melee. Factor in Claudio running in to clean house and Moxley’s win suddenly became an after thought. Fast forward to Wednesday and there was next to nothing of any memorable time where Moxley’s big win was felt important. Granted, Mox is the interm champion but hopefully this is a one week hiccup. Next week, he faces Brody King after King won the “Royal Rampager” for a shot at the title. I’m fully expecting this to be a great match and get Mox’s run started in a better direction than the previous week did.

FTRHAUSEN

Photo Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Last bit of AEW talk for this week: Is there any other tag team in the business at this moment MORE over than FTR? The ROH & AAA champions secured the IWGP tag titles at “Forbidden Door” and progressed frward with a fun 6-man tag with Danhausen. There is only one direction they can go from here. They have been the #1 contenders for MONTHS now for the AEW Tag Team titles. MONTHS. It hs been a travesty they haven’t been given a title shot by now. With “All Out” lurking in September, all signs point to an AEW tag title match where winners take ALL. Dax & Cash have been breaking their necks for the company without getting near those belts. It’s time to finally fix that. BOOK THE YOUNG BUCKS VS. FTR 2 ALREADY!!!!!

photo credit: Major League Wrestling

Hitting the indie circuit: In HUGE news from Major League Wrestling, the one and only Mance Warner is returning to the promotion for in-ring action on August 27th at MLW FURY ROAD hailing from El Paso, Texas. Warner has been tearing it up with SGC in GCW but he’s now returning to a promotion which he’s had a very lengthy history . To say this is a big surprise is an understatement. Keep an eye on MLW.com for more information on this story.

Credit: Game Changer Wrestling

Speaking of GCW, they have a big Fourth of July Weekend with their “Road Trip Bundle” on Fite TV. GCW “Dead On Arrival” and “Gateway To The Death” has been solid with #GCWGateway having some Match Of The Year candidates. GCW Rock - N Roll Forever will have history being made as it’s scheduled to be the final match for the legendary Rock'-N-Roll Express in Evansville, Indiana where they have had some of their biggest matches in their hall of fame career. Make sure to get this package and don’t miss the action.

That’s all the pro wrestling talk for this week. If you’re reading this in the United States, have a safe and healthy Fourth Of July Weekend! Hit me up on Twitter and let me know what pro wrestling action you’ve been watching. Thanks as always for reading and supporting!

KING SWITCH CRASHES AEW/ IMPACT SLAMMIVERSARY/ GLORY PRO STL VICE

Welcome to an all new edition of Blogs Count Anywhere, the complementary pro wrestling blog to the ODPH Podcast and 607TWS on Twitch (also in Podcast form). All eyeshave been focus on the drama involving the WWE and bet that the 607 podcast family will be tackling that on next week’s shows. Even with those stories going on, there’s a lot more happening in the land of pro wrestling that you need to know about. Let’s not waste any more time and jump in, shall we?

Photo Credit: All Elite Wrestling

“Forbidden Door”, the joint show between All Elite wrestling and New Japan Pro Wrestling has finally started to take shape. With under 2 weeks remaining, fans have a clearer picture of how the card is going to shape up….and in one case, they don’t. After defeating Kazuchika Okada at NJPW Dominion, Jay White has been a person of interest as far as the pay per view event is concerned. Prior to Dominion, Former AEW Champ “Hangman” Adam Page challenged Okada for the IWGP championship, figuring Okada winning was a foregone conclusion. How wrong was this idea…..

White defeated Okada in a MOTY candidate and immediately post match said Page wasn’t getting the shot (to paraphrase). Page came out this past Wednesday to address those comments on AEW Dynamite but was interrupted by Adam Cole (Bay Bay). Cole proclaimed that if anyone was going to get the shot, it would be him, keeping things “Undisputed Elite” vs. Bullet Club. During this time, White emerged and attacked Page from behind, reiterating the same message from Dominion. During his speech, White also said Cole would NOT be getting the shot at the championship either. A bit of an odd stance with only under 2 weeks left to make a match, but there’s a few ways to look at it:

Photo Credit: All Elite Wrestling

One option which makes some sense would be to do a triple threat for the belt between Cole, Page ad White. The story-line is set for the most part and could fit in the co-main event slot. It’s a situation where you have 3 main event wrestlers and could just plug and play into a classic match. It’s one of the benefits of having 2 promotions work together. The only X factor here is if Okada would be added somewhere in this mix. It was hinted during this promo that he might not be on the card. Imo, I can’t see him sitting this one out unless there was a very good reason, so maybe they split the difference with Okada/Cole and Page/White. Both those matches would be huge matches in their own rights.

The only other reason I see White holding off would be Kenny Omega. Now, let’s remind everyone: Omega has been out of action healing up from grueling injuries he was working thru prior to losing the belt to Page. IF, and I stress IF he’s ready to go, the only match you can make there is White/Omega. There is history and that would generate the type of buzz needed for a co-main this late in the game. Omega’s status is still uncertain so all eyes will shift to Wednesday to see if “The Best Bout Machine” returns to accept the challenge of facing the Switchblade Era on June 26th.

Photo Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Also on Wednesday, Hiroshi Tanahashi had a face-to-face confrontation with Jon Moxley before their main event at “Forbidden Door.” The stand-off did what it needed to do, but was interrupted by Chris Jericho and his JAS. Once they arrived, things went downhill has it turned into a messy brawl to set up a six-man tag for June 26th between Shota Umino, Eddie Kingston, and Wheeler Yuta vs. Minoru Suzuki, Sammy Guevara and Jericho. The only benefits from this was the card had a new match added but still took a bit away from really selling the main event. There’s one more week for them to sell the show. Hopefully Mox and Tanahashi get that chance.

Photo Credit: All Elite Wrestling

In arguably the most random match added to the “Forbidden Door” card, it was announced that Will Ospreay, fresh off finally winning the IWGP United States Championship at NJPW Dominion, will be facing Orange Cassidy. This is a clash of styles to say the least. This is a huge profile match for Cassidy and one that will entertain. Personally, I was hoping he got the ZSJ match he was lobbying for at NYCC 2021, but that won’t be the case as ZSJ is scheduled to face Bryan Danielson (if he’s healthy). That’s not the only big news happening for the “Billy G.O.A.T.”

Photo Credit: Game Changer Wrestling

Ospreay will be headlining the Game Changer Wrestling card in Providence, Rhode Island on Sunday, June 19th. At GCW “I Never Liked You”, his opponent will be the young superstar and AEW signee Nick Wayn. This event caps off a strong weekend of GCW matches with the NYC card “You Wouldn’t Understand” going down on Saturday night (with 607 podcast in attendance). You want to make sure you order on Fite TV and don’t miss this cards!

Photo Credit: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling Slammiversary is scheduled for Sunday, June 19th. The card is absolutely loaded! If you heard 607TWS this week, you know there is much to be excited about for this show. The Ultimate X match is worth the card alone! The main event will be a solid one between Eric Young and Josh Alexander for the Impact World title. Don’t miss this event on Fite TV

Photo Credit: Major League Wrestling

Major League Wrestling keeps adding great match after great match for Battle Riot 4 happening at The Melrose Ballroom in NYC on June 23rd. Just added to the card is a Women’s Featherweight title match between Brittany Blake and Taya Valkyrie! If you haven’t been following MLW lately, you wanna catch up quick! Battle Riot 4 is shaping up into something very special.

Photo Credit: Glory Pro Wrestling

Last but not least, Coming off a showcase of sorts on AEW Dynamite, Glory Pro is making some moves for the summer! Matches have been announced for the next Glory Pro Wrestling card! “STL Vice” will be happening on July 24th at the South Broadway Athletic Club (SBAC). One of the big marquee matches is WARHORSE taking on “All Ego” Ethan Page. GP Wrestling is also hinting at a return to the Pageant so you want to be following them on social media and don’t miss any of the action when it goes down.

That’s all the pro wrestling talk for this week. For more coverage, make sure you’re following and subbed to all of the 607 podcasts family where they’ll be breaking down the latest from the weekend and more!

Hit me up on Twitter and let me know what companies you have been checking out. Thanks for reading.