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!

MOX VS PUNK/BOUND FOR GLORY/CIRCLE 6 CATALYST

Welcome to an all new edition of Blogs Count Anywhere, the complementary Pro Wrestling blog to the ODPH podcast & 607 TWS: The Wrestling Show. Fans are on the road to AEW All Out taking place Sept. 4th live on PPV and hailing from Chicago, Illinois. There has been a LOT of talk coming from this week's AEW Dynamite and a promo that shifted gears (in theory) for where we were heading to in September. AEW is delivering MOX VS. PUNK next week! The timing of this promo is ironic too as it was 1 year ago that CM Punk arrived in AEW. Let's take a look at this and some other noteworthy stories in the land of pro wrestling this week, shall we?

CM PUNK

Photo Credit: All Elite Wrestling

On Wednesday, CM Punk made a proper return to the ring after time off from foot surgery. During this promo segment, Punk wasted no time in taking direct shots at Hangman Adam Page and Eddie Kingston before shifting gears towards Intern Champ Jon Moxley. Moxley gave some verbal jabs back before an impromptu scuffle began. This went on for a while and then started back up later in the show. The result from all of this: The main event for “All Out” has been moved up to next week’s Dynamite. This instantly raised some questions.

To start with, IF this match has a clean finish, what can you replace your main event at All Out with? For being the biggest (or second depending on where you rank Double Or Nothing) show of the year, messing with the main event this close to the show is a huge gamble. It almost leads to think there will be a time limit draw or some kind of odd ending to justify running it back. The only thing this might produce is a ratings spike…but what if it doesn’t? Unlike others, ratings don’t make my world spin, but for those that do, IF Dynamite doesn’t draw over 1 million viewers+ (gauge 1.3 to 1.4 range), what does that say about how many people are excited about this feud to pay $50 to watch it again when they didn’t show up to see it for free?

Another question is we are now at the 1 year anniversary of Punk joining AEW. If making him the marquee name of the company via being champion doesn’t draw big on Wednesday, how will Punk’s first year be defined? You may say “well, it’s only a match”, but is it really? This was the biggest match to put on their flagship PPV. If viewing numbers stay the same as they have hovered around the same number of viewers for weeks now, was the nostalgia signing the right call? At the time, yes but as the months have grown on, fans’ opinions about Punk have varied. Viewership hasn’t been consistently over 1 million on his shows. If he’s the face of the franchise and there’s been no growth, how should that be taken? Wednesday should be a good indicator of how to answer that. Punk needs to equal ratings, for if this stumbles, AEW will need to make a bigger main event on short notice to cover this up. Only time will tell if/when they’ll need to do that and make a call about if it’s still the “Summer Of Punk” again or is Summer over?

Don Callis, Kenny Omega and Michael Nakasawa

Photo Credit: All Elite Wrestling

On Wednesday, fans were greeted to the return of the one and only Kenny Omega! In case anyone might have forgotten, Omega is one of the best wrestlers on the planet right now. Wildly decorated in NJPW and AEW, Omega brings a pedigree to AEW that few others can match. Omega was the mystery 3rd partner to the Young Bucks in the AEW Trios Tournament. Omega has been gone a long time healing up from some injuries. How did he fare in the ring?

Well, Omega didn’t look like the Omega of old, but I will chalk that up to him being inactive for so long. However, Omega at 50% is still better than most others at 100%. The match vs. Andrade, Rush and Dragon Lee was a good “welcome back” for Omega. Moving forward, Omega will surely get back to the “Best Bout Machine” status he’s known for but it will take time. Being in the Trios Tourney might be a blessing in disguise for Omega being able to get his timing back while letting the Young Bucks take the majority of the action. It’s what he will do POST tourney that intrigues me most. Will he go for the singles title again or will he be with the Original Elite vs. The “Undisputed Elite”? It’s still way too early to tell but it’s great to see Omega back in the squared circle.

Claudio castagnoli

Photo Credit: All Elite Wrestling

It was also announce on Friday’s AEW Rampage that Ring Of Honor World Champion Claudio Castagnoli had an open challenge that was answered by Dustin Rhodes. It was a very solid segment between two veterans of the squared circle. Their match is set for next week’s AEW Rampage and will be a fun one to watch. Claudio is getting much needed TV time with the belt.

I’m still set on eventually making Rampage into ROH Rampage. This is a great place t let ROH talent be showcased until if/when they get a TV deal. rampage’s numbers are not the best, so why not make the switch? It’s a no brainer.

Julia Hart & Buddy Matthews

Photo Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Also on Rampage, fans witnessed the start of what I hope becomes a really drawn out feud: Miro vs. Biddy Matthews. Ignore Miro’s “unique” promos and let me start messing with the House of Black on the regular. It can work wonders building both up.

As for Matthews, he’s been called the “Best Kept Secret” in wrestling for years now. AEW needs to let him loose and build a solid foundation when he’s has time to work. Giving him an opponent like Miro i a great start but they need to continue to grow this story line without getting lost in the shuffle.

Photo Credit: Impact Wreslting

Impact wrestling has officially announced their Main Event for their biggest show of the year: Bound For Glory! Current Impact world champion Josh Alexander is set to face Eddie Edwards in what should be an excellent match. The card is chapping on October 7th, and hailing from Albany, NY! For more information on how to check this show out, click here.

Photo Credit: Circle 6 Wreslting

Last bit of news for the week: It has been announced that Circle 6 will be streaming on Fite TV! As a fan, I’m super excited to check them out on Fite. The first show on Fite is “The Catalyst” which will crown the first Circle 6 heavyweight champion. One of the biggest hang-ups I’ve had with this promotion is how they stream their fights. Being on Fite will clear a lot of those issues up! Make sure you’re following Circle 6 on socials for more info about this card.

That’s all the pro wrestling talk for this week. Hit me up on Twitter and let me know what Pro Wrestling you’re checking out. 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.