SUMMER OF PUNK AGAIN?/LIONHEART RETURNS/CIRCLE 6

Welcome to an all new edition of Blogs Count Anywhere, the complementary pro wrestling blog to the ODPH podcast and 607 TWS. It has been a more relatively quiet week than we’ve seen in recent weeks, so this will be a shorter blog than usual. WWE keeps bringing back familiar faces while the eyes on the independent scene have been locked into Atlantic City for GCW Homecoming. In between that, there are some stories worth mentioning about so lets’ talk about them, shall we?

CM Punk

Photo Credit: All Elite Wrestling

First up is AEW Dynamite closed with the return of current AEW world champion CM PUNK. Punk has been out with a foot injury in early June. In the meantime, AEW has crowned Jon Moxley as their intern champion. There has been rumors of when Punk would be back, but no clarification until this moment. The only other time anyone had seen Punk out really was seeing him at San Diego Comic Con in July. That said, the main event for their biggest show of the year appears to be all set with the unification bout locked up for September 4th at “All Out” in Chicago.

It’s the smart move to make and if Punk’ 100% ready, then go for it. It will be an interesting reaction form the crowd because both Mox and Punk are considered faces in this battle. I’m expecting it to be very pro-Punk but what (if anything) does this mean for the Blackpool Combat Club? They have been getting booked as top faces. It’s a bit confusing on that perspective but all signs point to Punk winning regardless.

Since his arrival last year, Punk has been pushed HEAVY into this position on the card. Whatever your feelings are about him, you can’t deny he gets fans attention. Has the return been the ”game changer” many thought? Debatable on what do you measure that on. Ratings still struggle to continuously clear 1 million for Dynamite. Social media impressions appear to be increased, but overall, imo, the jury is still out. With his return heading into the big show, it will be interesting to see how this set-up goes. AEW programing and PPV Buys will give a general idea if it’s the “Summer Of Punk” again or is the honeymoon phase finally over? Wait and see…..

Chris Jericho

Photo Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Also “returning” this week was the “Lionheart” persona of one Chris Jericho. Facing Jon Moxley, Jericho went back to his original gimmick that he broke into most notably ECW with during the 90’s. The match started a bit off imo, but picked up towards the end (I personally didn’t score it 4.75 but to each their own). Seeing Jericho borrow from the playbook of Mick Foley with bringing back characters like “Lionheart” and “The Painmaker” from NJPW has been good for nostalgia, and is a credit to how Jericho has gotten over pretty much every character he’s created thus far. “The Wizard”…..to be determined. Seeing less of the trip into the past would make these moves more impactful, but the AEW faithful enjoyed it. End of the day, that’s what matters more.

FTR and Wardlow

Photo Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Speaking of Nostalgia, Wardlow reunited with FTR for a semi-reunion of The Pinnacle, the faction started by he who AEW does not name (MJF). The ROH tag team champs came to back up Wardlow versus the Jay Lethal faction (name TBD) on AEW Dynamite this week. Seeing the 3 together makes me wonder if this is going to be a thing moving forward. AEW is in full trios tag team mode with champions to be crowned at All Out. Could we see the Pinnacle reformed? And what about adding a fourth member again? With MJF gone, I’m not doubting a certain returning champion bringing these three out with him to stand off against Moxley, Bryan Danielson, Wheeler Yuta and Claudio….just saying…..

HOOK

Photo Credit: All Elite Wrestling

HOOK will be defending the FTW tile vs. “The Reality” Zack Clayton …. so that’s happening. …

Photo Credit: Circle 6 Wrestling

Circle 6 is lining up to crown their first world champion with a “Hybrid Ladder Match”. The concept is very interesting and RSP breaks it down in a recent tweet. The upstart promotion has been building their fan base up and this match should catch a lot of attention when it happens on Sept. 9th.

Credit: National Wrestling Alliance

Last bit of news: It was announced that the NWA is taming up with Vet Tix to offer complimentary tickets for NWA 74 on August 27th and 28th to active Military members, Veterans and the immediate family members of those killed in duty. This is an incredible action for the NWA to do and they should be applauded for this. For more information on the NWA, click here.

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! 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 DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR/NWA 74/GLORY PRO STL VICE

Welcome to an all new edition of Blogs Count Anywhere, the complementary pro wrestling blog to the ODPH podcast & 607TWS (on Twitch and in podcast form). Late Friday afternoon, the Vince McMahon “retirement” story broke and will be covered fully on all the 607 podcasts this coming week. However, the focus for this edition is talking about Ring Of Honor’s return to pay-per-view with :Death Before Dishonor”. This will be the 2nd ROH show led under the direction of AEW owner Tony Khan, who purchased the company earlier this year. In April of 2022 was “SuperCard of Honor” which had a very positive reaction amongst fans. “Death Before Dishonor” hails from Lowell, MA & can be seen on BR Live and traditional PPV outlets domestically (FITE TV internationally) for $39.99. How is the final card shaped up heading into Saturday night? Let’s break it down and see, shall we?

Photo Credit: All Elite Wrestling

RING OF HONOR “DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR” ZERO HOUR pre show - 7pm EST

Photo Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Brian Cage & the Gates Of Agony vs. Blake Christian, Tony Deppen and Alex Zayne

Interesting fact to this match: this will be the 2nd consecutive time on ROH PPV that Cage will be wrestling stars from GCW (Ninja Mack was his opponent at Supercard Of Honor in April). Very amped to see “Team GCW” on the card but this is gonna be all Cage/Gates for the win here.

Allysin Kay vs. Willow Nightingale

This will be the match of the pre show. Hopefully these two extremely talented wrestlers will get some time to shine. Nightingale has been popping up on AEW TV as of late so going with Willow for the win.

Shinobi Shadow Squad vs. Trustbusters

This is Ariya Davari’s new gimmick that has been making the rounds on the IWC. Factor in the AEW Rampage promo on Friday and it telegraphs itself. Expecting a Parker Bourdeux sighting as well. Trustbusters get the easy win here.

Colt Cabana vs Anthony Henry

Colt is going to be a focal point of the new ROH regime, esp with all the questions of “would he be back” cause of the whole CM Punk drama. This should be a fun match with Cabana getting the W

Wheeler Yuta

Photo Credit: All Elite Wrestling

ROH “DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR: MAIN CARD - 8PM EST

RUSH VS. DRAGON LEE

The battle of real life brothers should start the show off in a big way. Rush is just getting started with AEW/ROH and Andrade’s La Faccion Ingobernable so i don’t see him taking the L here. Winner: Rush

The Righteous (c) vs. Dalton Castle and The Boys (ROH 6 man tag titles Championship)

Interesting addition to the card as Vincent from The Righteous has been in Impact Wrestling lately. Granted, ROH (& AEW) is home of the “Forbidden Door” deal, but somehow I don’t see the Righteous walking home with the belts. Winner: Castle & the Boys!

WHEELER YUTA (C) VS. DANIEL GARCIA - ROH PURE WRESTLING TITLE

One of the marquee matches on the card, the two young guns from the Blackpool Combat Club (BCC) & Jericho Appreciation Society (JAS) lock it up under PURE rules. This should be an exceptional match but one has to wonder: Yuta keeps referencing the horrible car crash Garcia and some wrestlers from the Buffalo area endured a few years ago. It comes off in such a heel way….are we seeing some early seeds planted for the BCC to go heel, especially with Moxley eventually facing CM Punk for the AEW title. Food for thought. Winner: ANDNEW! Garcia adds to his indy belt collection with a huge win here.

Mercedes Martinez

Photo Credit: All Elite Wrestling

MERCEDES MARTINEZ (C) vs. SERENA DEEB - ROH WOMEN’S WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

This should be an exciting match with 2 of the best wrestlers on the planet going at it. The build up has been very good as the former teammates imploded with Deeb wanting the title. I’m only hoping they get plenty of time to work on a stacked main card. This is a coin flip on who could win. They’re both that good. Martinez hasn’t had too much time to really run with the belt, but Deeb winning could build into a bigger storyline for the next few months between these two. Coin is flipped…… Winner: ANDNEW! Deeb

SAMOA JOE (C) VS. JAY LETHAL - ROH TV CHAMPIONSHIP

Very puzzling fans haven’t seen much of Samoa Joe on AEW programming to hype this match up more. Fearing this one is going to be a mess with run-ins form Lethal’s faction with Sonjay Dutt and Satnam Singh. Once that happens, this match (which should be great) is gonna crash and burn.Not much really else to say about it. Winner: ANDNEW! Lethal

FTR

Photo Credit: All Elite Wrestling

CO-MAIN EVENT: FTR VS THE BRISCOES 2 - ROH WORLD TAG TEAM TITLES (2 OUT OF 3 FALLS)

In a match of the year candidate, these two teams put on a legendary performance. At the time, fans didn’t think we would see this match happen again, let alone this soon. The Briscoes were long rumored NOT to be signed due to past questionable tweets, which have been apologized repeatedly for by the Briscoes previously. However, in the ROH media scrum that I was in attendance for, Tony Khan revealed that the Briscoes were in fact signed to a long-term deal with ROH. This changes everything.

Before that announcement, this match was a no-brainer #ANSTILL. Now, it could flip and arguably should. FTR is the best tag team on the planet right now holding he IWGP, AAA & ROH titles, but with a hall of fame team like the Briscoes sticking around ROH (as they should), FTR losing the belts to build for ALL Out is a great twist in the storyline. Plus if the Brisoces lose here again (even in dramatic fashion), what sense would it make to have them run it back a third time since they wlll be with the company long term? Calling: ANDNEW! Briscoes win setting up for a triple threat, everything on the line (AEW, ROH, IWGP & AAA) with FTR & Strickland/Lee for All Out.

Claudio Castagnoli

Photo Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Tully Blanchard Enterprises w/ Jonathan Gresham

Photo Credit: All Elite Wrestling

MAIN EVENT: JONATHAN GRESHAM (C) VS. CLAUDIO CASTAGNOLI - ROH WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

This will be a technical classic for the ages. Claudio is been on fire since debuting in AEW at “Forbidden Door”. He has been featured on AEW programming very well as a member of the BCC, and even more so due to the absence of Bryan Danielson. His arrival in ROH wasn’t so far fetched (check out the last Blogs Count Anywhere) and is now in the world title picture. Not too shabby of a debut in AEW/ROH.

On the flipside, Gresham has been ROH champion for quite some time and hasn’t been featured until recently. This has been a disservice imo. Gresham IS the best technical wrestler on the planet. He should have been featured more long before this show (a weekly Rampage spot at the bare minimum). Gresham’s pairing with Tully Blanchard comes off very forced and not sure what to expect long term, but for now, its a quick build to this math. Maybe we get BCC vs. TBE after this to drive ROH stories for a while? Who Knows.

As for this match, it’s all ANDNEW! Claudio. he’s got all the momentum right now and I can’t see the powers that be not making the switch. The only way I don’t see this happens is if post-match, Danielson walks out to challenge Gresham or a new signee makes a debut (Johnny Gargano anyone?). If that doesn’t happen, the Claudio era begins. Can’t be mad about that.

Photo Credit: Glory Pro Wreslting

Some other notes of wrestling this week: don’t forget to check out Glory Pro Wrestling STL Vice on Sunday, July 24th (3PM CST)! The show is gonna be can’t miss and is FREE on YouTube! For more info, check out Glory Pro on Twitter!

Photo Credit: National Wrestling Alliance

Lastly, it was announced that the National Wrestling Alliance will be bringing back the United States Tag Team Championships! The winners of this champions will be crowned at NWA 74 (Aug. 28, 2022) via a 10 team battle royale. Participants will be announced but with how fantastic their tag matches have been (see Briscoes vs Commonwealth Connection pictured below as a prime example), this is somehting to get amped up for at the NWA’s biggest show of the year! for more information: NWA on Twitter!

Briscoes vs. Commonwealth Connection (National Wrestling Alliance)

Photo Credit: Hiban Huerta

That’s all the pro wrestling talk for this edition. Make sure you’re following all the 607podcasts for all the pro wrestling coverage you need called right down the middle. Hit me up on Twitter and let me know what pro wrestling you’re checking out.

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.

NJPW WALKS IN AEW/ MLW BATTLE RIOT/ NWA 74

Welcome to an all new edition of Blogs Count Anywhere, the complementary pro wrestling blog to the ODPH podcast & 607TWS on Twitch. No blog for last week to due a weekend break to Atlantic City for GCW Cage Of Survival. This week, we’re back taking a look at some of the headlines making waves heading into AEW x NJPW’s co-promoted show “Forbidden Door” on June 26th as well as an indie round up. Big news has been happening, so let’s not waste any more time and dive in, shall we?

Photo Credit: All Elite Wrestling

In arguably the main event for June 26th, There will be an interim AEW title match between Jon Moxley and Hiroshi Tanahashi. How we got hear is a bit of a shuffling of wrestlers due to injuries. Originally, it was Tanahashi scheduled to face CM Punk for the AEW world championship. Due to a foot injury that required surgery, Punk is out of action indefinitely. With this void, the was a battle royal set up for this past AEW Dynamite where the winner would face Moxley at the end of the night. Kyle O’Reilly was the winner of that match, but lost to Moxley at the end of the night.

Photo Credit: All Elite Wrestling

As for Mox’s opponent, Hiroshi Tanahashi had to defeat Hirooki Goto at NJPW’s “Dominion” event this past Sunday to lock in his place for the match. It’s going to be a great match for the Championship but how this plays out is the bigger storyline. If Tanahashi wins, does this mean he will be staying around AEW for an extended time or would Tanahashi take the belt back to NJPW? If so, AEW wouldn’t have their champion on programming for an extended period of time (ala Brock Lesnar title run from a few years back).

On the other side of the question, if Moxley wins, what does this mean for Blackpool Combat Club moving forward? The BCC is currently one of AEW’s more popular factions and when Punk returns, would they turn heel and fans get a whole new storyline set up heading into All Out? In my opinion, that would be the best way to go. Danielson is better as a heel as seen when he made the turn vs. Hangman Adam Page for their feud (along with his previous work). Making Punk “earn” his title shot against Moxley would be a fun program to run. Plus if he needs someone to even the odds, how bout his new best buds in FTR? In either scenarios, AEW will have some unique directions to go in after the card with an interim champ.

Photo Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Speaking of NJPW, fans witnessed a debut on AEW programming in Will Ospreay showing up to set up a possible feud/match with his United Empire faction vs. FTR and Roppongi Vice for the June 26th show. This will be a solid addition to the card but personally, I think it would have made more waves if Ospreay was entered in the new All-Atlantic championship tournament instead.

Already punching their tickets for that were Malakai Black & PAC. There is a mystery match with 2 representatives from NJPW so maybe he “might” be in there, but if not, it's a missed opportunity. It's interesting to see AEW add another belt to the roster (especially if you include all the ROH titles). No matter what, the addition of the former IWGP champ to the show is an excellent move. Hopefully fans see him in singles action before his run at AEW is done.

Photo Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Also noteworthy from AEW is Thunder Rosa was given some TV time to defend her belt. This has been a horrible misstep by the company previously when you have a champion of Rosa's caliber and don't give her proper time to establish her championship run. Having her do an “open challenge” style match each week is a start.

This week's match against Marina Sharif might not have been the best but it's nothing to hold against Rosa. Some nights just aren't 5 star nights. Just the fact AEW finally looks like they're going to give her some time to grow is a win in my book.

Photo Credit: Major League Wrestling

It has been announced by Major League Wrestling that the world title will be on the line at Battle Riot 4. Current reigning MLW Champion Hammerstone puts the belt on the line against Bandido on June 23rd from the Melrose Ballroom in NYC! Factor in the 40 person Battle Riot and this card is shaping up into a can’t miss night of pro wrestling! Keep an eye on MLW socials for more announcements!

Photo Credit: National Wrestling Alliance

It was just announced that on August 27th and 28th, the Khorassan Ballroom located in the Chase Park Plaza Royal Sonesta will be the home of the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA)'s NWA 74 event. Tickets go live on Wednesday June 15th (10am CST) so you want to make sure you lock yours up quickly. If you can't be there in person, make sure to check the show out on Fite.Tv!

Photo Credit: National Wrestling Alliance

Since there was no blog last week, I didn’t want to miss mentioning what the NWA did on June 5th. NWA Women's World Champion Kamille threw the first pitch before the Tennessee Smokies game which was followed up by a meet and greet which was joined by AJ Cazana and Thom Latimer. It was a very cool event for the fans and anytime you can mix some summer baseball with wrestling, its a win.

Photo Credit: Game Changer Wrestling

Last bit of news for the blog: Game Changer Wrestling is back in action after the “Survival” weekend shows in Atlantic City with “You Wouldn’t Understand” on June 18th hailing from NYC & “I Never Liked You” marking GCW’s debut in PROVIDENCE, RI. Don’t sleep on getting the Fite.Tv pacakge deal for both shows. One of the best deals to watch wrestling with. Expect a full preview breakdown on 607TWS this week.

That’s all the pro wrestling talk for this blog, but hit me up on Twitter and let me know what feds you’re watching that are making some moves. For more pro wrestling content, follow all the 607podcats shows!

Thanks for reading!