April 23, 2022

Ken M

Pro Wrestling, entertainment, television, Blog, pro wrestling, Wrestling

GCW THE OLD ME

April 23, 2022

Ken M

Pro Wrestling, entertainment, television, Blog, pro wrestling, Wrestling

Welcome to an all new edition of Blogs Count Anywhere, the complementary pro wrestling blog to the ODPH Podcast & #607TWS on Twitch. Since the crazy weather in Upstate NY has finally passed and no more power outages expected (knock on wood), It’s time to recap some stories that you need to know about. First on the list is an announcement from AEW that had been rumored for a few weeks now but was made official on AEW Dynamite this week. What a moment on the show to see this: AEW owner Tony Khan on stage with New Japan Pro Wrestling president Takami Ohbari (with an assist from “King Switch” Jay White and Adam Cole (Bay Bay) to top it all off).

The announcement: AEW is partnering up with New Japan Pro Wrestling for “Forbidden Door” on June 26th hailing from Chicago, Illinois . The event will also be available via Bleacher Report & usual AEW Pay Per View outlets. Tickets on sale May 6th at AEWTIX.com

Wrestling fans have a very big win on their hands if done right. For AEW, it continues the whole “Forbidden Door” movement that was first created when Kenny Omega led a talent exchange with Impact Wrestling. That was a very mixed experiment where AEW went over more in comparison to the favor being returned for Impact. In fact, it feels like Impact was the true “Forbidden Door” for the amount of talent that swung thru from AEW and NJPW. It will get some new eyes on their product but retaining will be a question.

NJPW is known for a different style, often referred to as “Strong Style.” How the AEW faithful will adapt to this is something to watch. NJPW has more to gain out of this venture. They have started expanding into the American market with “NJPW Strong. With a big push from AEW, that could generate into more fans. However, the track record with NJPW going over on AEW programming has been very limited. Take a look at Minoru Suzuki’s record on all AEW programming. For this to work, NJPW needs to score some noteworthy wins on AEW talent (not ROH ones).

It’s a risk worth taking never the less. The show needs to be an equal playing field at the end of the day. Otherwise, if this becomes a paid infomercial for how great AEW is over another company, it will be all for nothing. Hopefully the powers that be over at AEW have learned from the Impact run and will be better with this moving forward. Safe money we see Kenny Omega’s return at this show as well.

Fans were also treated to the latest escapades of one of AEW’s more interesting fueds: Hook vs. Danhausen. Originally, I wasn’t on board, but the more they’re building this, I’m becoming invested. Maybe Danhausen cursed this blog? IDK. It appears we’re finally going o get a match from the two since Hook is”immune” to Danhausen’s curses.

This feud will only end one way: you are looking at the next “Rock ‘N Sock connection.” For entertainment purposes, it’s a win on many levels. This odd couple connects with fans differently. After their match, I see this playing out like a “You’ve earned my respect, Danhausen” deal and they go from there. With team Taz feeling like it’s in limbo right now, it’s perfect for the new talent AEW fans are buzzing about.

Also announced for next week’s AEW Dynamite: The Battle of FTR for the Owen Heart Foundation Tournament. One time only and hopefully they give this at least 12 mins. Maybe open the show with it. The best tag team in the business going one on one? The fans win this one. CAN’T WAIT.

Major League Wrestling has announced who Taya Valkyrie will be facing at Kings Of Colosseum’ 22.Holidead is lined up as the opponent for the inaugural Women’s Featherweight Championship. Very excited to see this match as well as the main event between Hammerstone and Richard Holiday. For more information: MLW.com

As mentioned on 607TWS this week, Glory Pro Wrestling has an absolutely can’t miss card happening on Sunday, April 24th from The Pageant in St. Louis. My pick of the weekend has to be te match between Jake Something & Minoru Suzuki. If in the area, tickets are almost sold out. If you’re out of town, Here’s the link to watch on YouTube with Glory Pro is streaming FOR FREE!

Closing out this week’s blog is some Game Changer Wrestling news. On Friday night, GCW had an absolutely fantastic card from Columbus, OH with “Find You Again”. Blake Christian calling out Johnny Gargano! Jordan Oliver vs. Alex Shelley! THAT SCRAMBLE MATCH! Watch the replay on Fite.TV

Tonight’s “The Old Me” from DETROIT looks to continue their win streak of shows. Briscoes vs. SGC in a fucking scaffolds match?! HERE WE GO. Order the show now if you haven’t and get ready!

Hit me up on Twitter and let me know what pro wrestling you’re checking out this weekend. As always. thanks for reading and supporting the blog!

April 17, 2022

Ken M

Blog, entertainment, Pro Wrestling, television

AEW BATTLE OF THE BELTS 2 / CIRCLE 6 RETURNS / GLORY PRO WRESTLING

April 17, 2022

Ken M

Blog, entertainment, Pro Wrestling, television

Welcome to an all new edition of Blogs Count Anywhere, the complementary pro wrestling blog to the ODPH podcast & 607TWS on Twitch! For this edition, we’re taking a look at All Elite Wrestling’s busy week capping off with their second edition of “Battle Of The Belts” on April 16th. Factor that in with a few other indie promotions that you should have on your radar and you can’t say “nothing i going on in the land of professional wrestling”! There is so much wrestling to talk about, let’s not waste anymore time and jump in, shall we?

As previously mentioned, AEW capped off a very busy week of action with “Battle Of The Belts 2” from Garland, Texas (aired on TNT network). Fans in attendance were treated to 3 title belts but the one that stole the show (imo) was the Ring Of Honor world championship match between Dalton Castle and ROH Champ Jonathan Gresham (pictured above). For some of the AEW faithful, they might not have gotten why this was such a big deal. Here’s a quick catch-up why it was:

It has been heavily rumored that Gresham has signed an AEW contract (since Tony Khan owns both AEW & ROH now) & fans should expect to see more of him on AEW programming moving forward. No one bleeds the ideals of ROH more than Gresham. Gresham is arguably the BEST technical wrestler on the planet. Outside of following the indies or ROH, this was the first impression of Gresham to many of the AEW fans. He absolutely put on a fantastic match with Castle & showcased his skills. I strongly suggest going back thru his catalog of work and there will be no doubt on why this is a huge addition for AEW/ROH. Gresham can put on “5 star” matches with anyone you match him against. Just wait till he faces off with Bryan Danielson…… just saying.

The only “bad thing” coming from this match was post match run-in from the Jay Lethal/Sonjay Dutt/ Satnam, in which people on the internet lost their minds to the height comparison of Satnam to Gresham. Let me put this argument to bed once and for all: Danielson is 5’10, AJ Styles 5’11, Rey Mysterio is 5’6 and Gresham 5’4. What do all 4 have in common? They’re all touted for their wrestling skills where everyone’s level when taken down on a mat. Satnam is 7’2. OF COURSE HE’S GOING TO TOWER OVER SOMEONE! For my money, give me someone who can put on solid matches with a good story behind it regardless of their height. If that’s all you can focus on during a match, you’re not watching the right things.

New ROH TV champ Samoa Joe (6’2 btw) came in for the save and looked to continue building the story-line he has going with Team Lethal. No surprise he walked away Wednesday with the TV title but it is interesting to see that Satnam appears to be his first challenger for the belt. With someone just coming into the world of professional wrestling, this is fast tracking Satnam into a spot he might not be ready for.

This is also an interesting path for ROH 2.0. With no TV deal (as of this blog), building the stories for their champions with very new talent to the business on AEW programming feels like high risk/high reward. It’s great exposure but this puts a ton of pressure on those new roster members to deliver. Failure to do so won’t be an easy thing to recover from.

Speaking of storylines, Hangman Adam Page retained his AEW world title against Adam Cole (Bay Bay) in (another) Texas Death match on AEW Rampage. This should be the closure of their feud and hopefully the last TDM we see for a while. Page has had most of this blow-off matches end with that gimmick match. It would be a good thing to mix something else in there for the next one. Now, the question becomes who’s next for Page? The more and more I watch AEW, the answer is becoming more clear:

CM Punk has been hinting about making a run for the belt. Looking at how he’s gone over everyone that has been thrown at him on the roster (except MJF), all signs point to Punk facing Page at some point. This could be the Double or Nothing main event. It makes sense. Page’s run as champion has had mixed results. It seemed to finally start getting some steam behind it recently but not doubting this is where Punk goes in and captures the gold. With less that 6 weeks to get a title contender ready, Punk’s story is the easiest to plug and play.

I’m not sure how the AEW faithful will react to this. Fans remember how passionate they were for Page to finally win the big one, but seem to have extremely cooled off to him as champion. This is nothing new to pro wrestling where the fans get fickle when their chosen one wins. The only question now is: Has AEW become fickle enough to make the move? We’ll see in May.

Major League Wrestling keeps stacking their card for “Kings Of Colosseum” in May with the addition of Taya Valkyrie. It hasn’t been announced who she is fighting yet but it will be a can’t miss match. Don’t forget about their big main event with Hammerstone & Richard Holiday! Guaranteed to have something for all pro wrestling fans. For more info on this card: MLW.com

Circle 6 has announced their 2nd show “Terrible Lie” slated for April 30th. Coming off their strong debut show “Skewered”, Expect there to be no “sophomore jinx” for this promotion. Killer Kross, Scarlett, Rocky Romero and Matt Cross have all been announced for ‘Terrible Lie.” Make plans to check this card out. For more information: Drop that follow for Circle 6 Wrestling

Rounding out the list of news-making promotions this week, Glory Pro Wrestling has an incredible card set for April 24th live from the Pageant in St. Louis (5PM CST)! How cool is this: Glory Pro is streaming the event FOR FREE on their YouTube channel! With Effy, Allie Katch, Minoru Suzuki on the card (just to name a few) there is no way any pro-wrestling fan should miss this show! Make sure you’re following Glory Pro Wrestling for all the latest on their big moves!

That’s all for this week. Make sure to hit me up on Twitter and let me know about what pro wrestling promotions are making some big moves to discuss. As always, thanks for reading & supporting!

April 10, 2022

Ken M

Blog, entertainment, Pro Wrestling, television

FTR keeps rolling/WHEELER YUTA/MLW Kings of Colosseum

April 10, 2022

Ken M

Blog, entertainment, Pro Wrestling, television

Welcome to an all new edition of Blogs Count Anywhere, the complementary pro wrestling blog to the ODPH podcast and 607TWS on Twitch (& in podcast form). For this edition, it’s the post Wrestlemania hangover but some other promotions have picked up some steam as of late. When the fans aren’t talking about Tony Khan and “BotGate”, All Elite Wrestling has had some moments that should be the talk of their promotion. Let’s dive in on those, shall we?

The biggest story fans should be talking about is the long overdue ascension of FTR in the AEW tag team ranks. No tag team in the business has been putting on absolute classic matches with the Young Bucks and Briscoes quite like Cash & Dax. Since debuting in AEW, they made a big splash early & had the “dream match” with the Young Bucks at Full Gear in November 2020. After that, they seemed to have become lost in a very large roster and almost an after thought. Sure, they were paired in MJF’s “Pinnacle” faction but what has really stood out from them during their time there? Other than defeating the Lucha Bros for the AAA titles, there’s very little highlights imo.

Fast forward to December 2021: after taking to social media to build their feud (the right way) with the Briscoes in Ring Of Honor (to the point of crashing the party at ROH Final Battle), FTR has finally gotten back to being the benchmark of tag team wrestling. Hardcore fans have known this for years but for casuals, it’s all about what has been done lately. Within a weeks time, They’ve been putting on incredible matches & winning against 2 of the best teams in the business.

Where do they go from here? Simple: Keep them in the spotlight and featured on AEW programming. For having one of the deepest tag divisions, FTR has a lot of suitors to start some storylines with (ReDRagon and Santana/Ortiz are top of my list). FTR has worked their way to the top by putting the work in. Now, it’s time to let them do what they do and remind fans on how GOOD tag team wrestling can be each week! #FTRFTW!

FTR isn’t the only ones making a big splash this week. Wheeler Yuta has now become a made man in a lot of fans’ eyes. Yuta defeated Josh Woods for the ROH Pure title and had an absolute star-making performance on AEW Rampage with a loss to Jon Moxley. Why he needed to bleed during that match idk. Maybe its a weird sign of initiation to the Blackpool Combat Club with Moxley, Bryan Danielson, & William Regal. There’s been an odd “Fight Club” feel to Yuta trying to join BCC. It’s similar to Jared Leto’s character trying to join Brad Pitt’s group from that movie.

Regardless of the influence, Yuta broke thru with that match. It was excellent & gave the young star a win in defeat. Since he’s been with AEW, Yuta is another talent lost in the shuffle. Paired with Best Friends is still something but never went anywhere. It finally looks like his time is now and he couldn’t be in better company. Hopefully when ROH gets rolling, Yuta can maintain that momentum with the Pure title. Give me Yuta v. Lee Moriarty asap for the belt!

Speaking of Ring Of Honor, it has been announced that Samoa Joe will be facing Minoru Suzuki on AEW Dynamite for the ROH TV Title. As mentioned on last week’s blog, Suzuki wasn’t going to be holding the belt long and Joe makes sense to take the belt from him.

Joe is a star to build the new ROH around and depending on what that will be, having him as TV champ works. Guessing we’re going to see him vs. CM Punk in the Owen Hart tourney finals for the belt as well. Nothing is certain for ROH until they get on TV but everyhting is up in the air with the Discovery Plus purchase of Warner Media. Until then, fans will have to wait and see how Joe’s time as TV champ all plays out. Don’t miss this match on Wednesday!

Major League Wrestling has announced a big show planned for the 2300 Arena: Kings of Colosseum 2022. In the main event, Richard Holliday challenges Hammerstone for the heavyweight championship. This should be a great match. For more info on this card, Check out MLW2300.com

Last bit of news for this week:

As heard on #607podcasts this week, Super B had a big match and WIN at Xcite Wrestling on Saturday Night. Post match, B called out Sean Carr for May 7th! Super B’s links are now in the Friends of the show section of ODPHpodcast.com. Make sure you’re following and don’t miss the match vs Carr on May 7th.

Unfortunately, Cerin Rahne suffered an injury during the Xcite show on Saturday night. If you are able to, support him by picking up some merch. Positive thoughts & energy for a speedy recovery #HopeDealer

April 3, 2022

Ken M

television, Pro Wrestling, Blog, entertainment

SUPERCARD OF HONOR/GCW COLLECTIVE/CODY RHODES

April 3, 2022

Ken M

television, Pro Wrestling, Blog, entertainment

Welcome to an all new edition of Blogs Count Anywhere, the complementary pro wrestling blog to the ODPH podcast and 607TWS on Twitch! It’s currently Wrestlemania week in the world of Pro Wrestling but there are some other news topics to discuss that needs some light shined on them. Leading the way was arguably the event I had the most questions about going into. The event: Ring Of Honor’s “Supercard Of Honor”. ROH’s return after suspending operations after December 2021’s “Final Battle”, releasing talent from contracts and eventually Tony Khan of All Elite Wrestling swooping in to buy the company has been one many fans have been waiting to see how the next phase of ROH would be. Well, what did we get?

“Supercard of Honor” was a great wrestling card. The matches were excellent. Many new champions were crowned (we’ll get to that in a bit) and overall, a very solid return. The only “drawbacks” (imo) is that it is very clear ROH will be either a developmental brand or considered the “B” show to AEW. There were quite a few moments where AEW was heavily hyped throughout this show for continuing storylines on their programming. This felt like how AEW would crash Impact programming and put themselves over more than building up Impact’s brand. Granted, this is a different scenario with Khan owning both promotions but the message is still very clear. Fans will also have to be used to this message much like when ECW was brought back by WWE. It won’t be the same. It will be different, for better or worse. If you factored all that out, there’s much to like about this show.

It also gave fans the return of the one and only Samoa Joe. Joe, a legend in Ring Of Honor, with noteworthy stints in TNA/Impact Wrestling and WWE respectfully returned to close the show out. Joe, who was released by WWE, had fans buzzing on Friday night. It was also announced after the show that Joe had signed with All Elite Wrestling (another thing fans will have to get used to: anyone signed will be #AllElite). If Joe is 100% healthy, this is a big win for AEW/ROH. He will be the face of ROH if he stays there or will make an impact on AEW programming. Personally, ROH is the better fit. Joe unfortunately would get lost on the over-saturated AEW roster as it stands now. Sure, there are dream matches with CM Punk and Danielson to have but as recent additions have shown us, getting TV time with a new debut week after week is not easy.

If Joe can be used to build up the “B” show, this brand could be made into a Raw vs. Smackdown type competition. That should be the play here. With so many members of the roster, a draft to bands would make sense and Joe would be a top pick no matter which brand it was. Fully expecting some big moves from Joe now on the roster. It’s only a question of where is the best fit with the dream opponents.

Speaking of dream matches and opponents, fans FINALLY got what might be the current runner for Match of The Year: Briscoes vs. FTR for the ROH tag belts. The match lived up to the hype and easily stole the show. Even the Young Bucks crashing the post match to hype their long awaited rematch with FTR on Wednesday’s Dynamite didn’t defer how great this match was. The two best tag teams on the planet did a phenomenal job. Now the big question is: With the match being this good and fans waiting an immediate rematch, what’s the fallout now?

As of this typing, Khan has not signed the Briscoes (with rumor being AEW television execs. don’t want them due to past controversial tweets). If that rumor is true, then chances of a rematch in AEW/ROH will be next to impossible. The Briscoes will continue to tear up the indie scene but for a team just inducted into the ROH Hall Of Fame class to not be signed for past actions, but yet other current AEW roster members had past comments resurface and yet, they are still on the roster, even as former champions doesn’t add up. Just saying. Hopefully something can get worked out & fans get to see the Briscoes in an ROH ring again sooner than never.

Another moment that stood out: KAZE NI NARE! Minoru Suzuki captured the Ring Of Honor TV title! The NJPW legend winning over Rhett Titus was a complete surprise. This should lead to some fun match-ups for the title but one has to wonder how long this run will last? I don’t see Suzuki staying around long term in AEW so seeing who could be next in line for the belt is a wide open field. Maybe a Lee Moriarty? How bout Swerve Strickland? Even Sammy Guevara’s name has to be in that mix. Endless contenders.

ROH also had all their titles change hands during Supercard Of Honor to AEW talent (with exception to Suzuki and Jon Gresham who wasn’t not officially signed to my knowledge) . Wheeler Yuta won the Pure championship. Mercedes Martinez is the interm women’s champion. FTR are your current tag champs. Jonathan Gresham won the unification main event.. With all these new champions, there are many storyline to set up. It’s a great thing about starting a new promotion, but with one that holds the legacy of Ring Of Honor, will it live up to what’s been established or will it be something else completely? Only time will tell on that.

Last thing from Supercard of Honor: NINJA MACK made his ROH debut! Unfortunately, he ran into a returning Brian Cage but I was very happy to see him still on the show. Maybe one day, he’ll be signed there but until then, don’t miss what he’s doing on the indie scene. Absolutely crushing it right now!

Since we’re talking of people crushing it on the indies right now….there is NO ONE killing it more right now than “All Heart” Blake Christian. The ma literally did Imapct Wresting, NJPW, GCW and ROH in the course of ONE DAY! Currently, “All Heart” is your wrestler of the year & there is no debate. Do yourself a favor and catch up on his run since being released from WWE. No idea how they dropped the ball with him but DAMN! You talk of people betting on themselves and winning? Look no further! If Tony Khan is smart, he signs Christian ASAP and THAT’s the guy who beats Suzuki for the ROH Tv title. Absolute legendary run during Mania week Catch up on his work ASAP! Get some merch too! #yearofALLHEART continues on!

Photo Credit: World Wrestling Entertainment

Obviously, what’s the biggest story of the week is: The Rhodeslander has arrived back home in the WWE. Cody Rhodes in fact WAS the mystery opponent for Seth Rollins at Wrestlemania 38. Early reaction is that it couldn’t have gone off better. Rhodes came in exactly as we’ve seen him. He was the Rhodeslander. He was the guy who left WWE and became a star on the indies. There was no Stardust. here was no Smoke and Mirrors. Rhodes came in and really made the most of the moment. Fallout has been fairly positive with only a few toxic tweets from fans. Overall, this will be one of the moments we talk about as fans for a while and Rhodes’ next moves as a member of the WWE roster will be watched very heavily.

Last bit of news: Game Changer Wrestling absolutely tore up Wrestlemania week with the Collective 2022. Order the bundle from Fite TV and trust me, if you’re a pro wrestling fan, there’s something for you to enjoy. Personal favorites were For The Culture, JCW vs LA Fights, The Wrld on Lucha, Effy’s Big Gay Brunch & Joey Janela’s Spring Break 6. Every show really brought it and there’s much to break own on the next 607TWS. It set a high benchmark for showcasing independent pro wrestling! Check it out!

Remember that Super B Brandon Sevilla will be live in studio on April 4th to recap the week that was and talk all things pro wrestling with #607podcasts. Follow now and see everyone on the live stream!

Let me know what pro wrestling you’re checking out & make sure to be following all the 607 podcasts family for all the pro wrestling breakdown you need! As always, thanks for reading!

March 27, 2022

Ken M

Pro Wrestling, Blog, television

CM PUNK vs. DAX/ SUPERCARD OF HONOR/ JOEY JANELA SPRING BREAK

March 27, 2022

Ken M

Pro Wrestling, Blog, television

Welcome to an all new edition of Blogs Count Anywhere, the complementary pro wrestling blog to the ODPH podcast and 607TWS on Twitch (& now in podcast form). On this edition, it’s the road to Wrestlemania, the WWE’s biggest event of the year. There will be a deep dive on this week’s ODPHpod breaking that card down. For this blog, let’s take a quick trip around some other federations and stories that are making some noise going into this week. And here we go…..

HOW GOOD WAS THIS MATCH?!?!

All Elite Wrestling kicked off AEW Dynamite with an absolute classic between Dax Harwood of FTR vs. CM Punk. Classic storytelling that many feel was a love letter to Bret “the Hitman” Hart. Everything about this match clicked. The crowd and fans watching at home were locked in from the jump. Obviously, with who was involved, you knew this was gonna be something special & it delivered. Maybe that Dog Collar match at AEW Revolution finally awoke something? Maybe it’s because he had a great opponent who’s in arguably the best tag team on the planet right now facing him and at pushing him? In any case, anyone who missed it, make a point to check this match out. Definitely wouldn’t mind seeing this ran back sometime. However from that lead, the rest of the show started to slowly lose steam…then this happened:

Fans had a promo segment with Sammy Guevara & Tay Conti addressing Dan Lambert with his AEW American Top Team faction (TNT Champion Scorpio Sky, Ethan Page, Paige Van Zant). In case anyone didn’t know, Guevara and Conti have become a bit of a polarizing couple imo. Ever since their relationship went public and other drama involving Guevara ( I don’t want to get into that situation), they have had very split opinions on social media from fans.

On Wednesday, Lambert wore the original TNT Championship belt while champion Sky had the newer belt. In story line purposes, Guevara wore both belts (old and interim) after winning a unification bout with Cody Rhodes. After battling on the mic, Guevara claimed that he and Conti did some “adult things” while wearing the belt Lambert kissed and left some “souvenirs” on the belt. Even post match, there was a tweet with a picture of Conti and Guevara naked with the belt alluding to what they “did”. That comment drew a lot of negative attention from some AEW members, most notably Eddie Kingston and fans who thought the comments was disrespectful to the belt and its’ legacy with the late Brodie Lee. I agree with that as well.

I understand that the promo was to get a “shock” moment but considering the PR damage that was done when WWE stars were involved in a situation like that, it was a bad look. Why after that promo was done, Conti and Guevara were trending on socials with Brad Maddox right behind them? For AEW, this is another situation of where promos like this need to be ran thru the proper channels. Knowing the legacy of Brodie Lee and what that belt means, it was a complete insult. Seeing the negative fan reaction, doubling down on it with the tweet after didn’t help matters.

Should any more drastic action be done about this? No. I’ve read where people online want Guevara and Conti off AEW and that’s way too much. IMO, What should be done is better regulation by AEW about promo content and crossing that line. It’s a fine line that needs to be walked but I can’t really see the brass at Warner Media being cool with this long term. There are better ways to cut promos and getting that type of “heat” is not a direction that Guevara and Conti want to go in.

Hook’s reaction was my reaction hearing that segment as well. Btw… Hook v. Danhausen? ok…..

Now onto some better news to talk about:

This Friday, Ring Of Honor returns with SuperCard of Honor taking place on Fite.TV with a new look for the well respected promotion. This will be the first card under the Tony Khan regime. There have been some small changes to the card but the big matches are still locked and loaded. Gresham vs. Bandido for the undisputed ROH title & Briscoes vs. FTR for the tag team titles are the big draws but there’s another match that was added that fans shouldn’t sleep on:

Jay Lethal (pictured above) will be taking on Lee Moriarty! Expect some great wrestling action in this one (as well as Swerve Strickland vs. Alex Zayne). Lethal, the longtime franchise player in ROH returns for this Pay-Per-View is an interesting move. Lethal was one of the first wave of ROH talent to sign elsewhere when everyone was released from their contracts. Now coming bck full circle, will he be the face of ROH 2.0 now or how will the landscape of Ring Of Honor now change with Khan at the helm. We will see the beginnings starting this Friday.

Game Changer Wrestling once again takes over Wrestlemania weekend with the Collective. It is a showcase of great cards throughout the weekend such as Glory Pro, For The Culture, & Effy’s Big Gay Brunch to name a few. However, the one that has become the most attatched to the Collective is Joey Janela’s Spring Break. This card has literally everything on it & will be the one GCW fans will be buzzing about. Personally, I can’t wait to see Joey Janela vs X-Pac. It’s gonna be a loaded weekend of shows so make sure to check out Fite.TV and watch some great indie shows before or after Wrestlemania.

Just a reminder that “Super B” Brandon Sevilla will be in studio on the April 4th edition of 607TWS!

That’s all for this week. Hit me up on Twitter and let me know what pro wrestling you’re checking out and what card this weekend you’re most excited to see! As always, thanks for reading!

March 20, 2022

Ken M

Blog, Pro Wrestling, television

THUNDER ROSA WINS!!! / BRISCOES VS. FTR / CIRCLE 6

March 20, 2022

Ken M

Blog, Pro Wrestling, television

Welcome to an all new edition of Blogs Count Anywhere, the complementary pro wrestling blog to the ODPH podcast & 607TWS on Twitch. For this edition, it’s been a relatively quieter week than usual. Arguably the biggest story is multiple reports of Cody Rhodes signing to the WWE. This really has been an interesting topic to watch. However, until we see him in a WWE ring, fans won’t see the real reaction until that moment. If/whgen it happens, I’ll deep dive into my thoughts on the Rhodeslander’s landing spot. If you’re an AEW fan, I’m sure you have feelings about it as well, but there’s a lot to be excited about with All Elite Wrestling that SHOULD be where the attention needs to be focused on.

On Wednesday’s “AEW Dynamite”, Thunder Rosa FINALLY captured the Women’s World title from Britt Baker in a Steel Cage Match. Their match is almost 1 year to the date of their epic St, Patrick’s Street Fight which was a Match Of The Year Candidate in 2021. The story line to make this happen was a bit confusing as Rosa lost to Baker at AEW Revolution only to get the 3rd match after winning a world title eliminator bout 3 days after.

No matter how we got here, the fact is we got here! Fans finally got #ANDNEW! For Rosa, who’s one of the best on the planet, defeating Baker in San Antonio (her current home base) & that crowd’s reaction was worth the wait. The match was solid and now the door is open for some new matches for the belt. With Baker being so dominant in her title reign, most challengers were one and done in a title program. Rosa as champion opens up quite a few possibilities of programs to run.

One rumored idea floated around was Rosa against TBS Champion Jade Cargill, but I don’t see that happening. It’s way too early for “Champ vs. Champ.” For where I think we’re going is into a program with a new version of Kris Statlander. With the new vignettes, it appears Statlander might be turning heel which would make for a great opponent for Rosa to start her reign against.

Another long shot idea would be setting up Rosa for a Match of The Year candidate against Ring Of Honor champion Deanna Purrazzo. Since AEW & ROH now have the same owner, the idea isn’t out of possibility. This could be something to watch out for at Supercard of Honor, but there’s already one dream match made there. Not sure if we will have this one made there too. Regardless of that, the Thunder Rosa era with the title has begun. With all the hard work and excitement that Rosa has added to that division, giving her the belt is long overdue and now a new chapter in AEW starts….

Wednesday also brought back the much hyped return of Matt & Jeff, The Hardys to tag team action. Their match with Private Party went as expected (along with an assist from Darby Allin & Sting post match) & has now set up for an 8 man Tag team match on the next AEW Dynamite against the rest of the AFO. At first glance, teaming with Darby & Sting is fun for a quick second, but hopefully not leading to another faction. After this match, Matt & Jeff need to get something going against another tag team or we’re looking at a “Stadium Stampede” type blow off match down the road.

While this makes sense short term, stretching this story line out long term isn’t helping anyone out imo. The Hardys should start working up the rankings for a title shot ASAP. Darby & Sting are….. Darby & Sting. It is what it is there. Plus, Andrade just took over the HFO. Let him build that up in his vision and go from there. No matter what, Matt & Jeff need to strike while the buzz is there and get a program started for a run at the belts. Anything else is just wasting time at this stage.

Speaking of time wasting, I wasn’t a huge fan of the Jericho Appreciation Society (JAS) segment this week. For dismantling the Inner Circle, AEW’s first faction, only to roll it out as whatever this is going to be just didn’t click. 2.0 & Daniel Garcia now are in a prime story for them to grow. That’s a plus, especially for Garcia but the whole “I Am a sports entertainer” skit just made this new group feel like a reset of someone else’s character taking shots at a certain other federation. Maybe it was a subtle jab at the Cody stories? Either way, not the best first impression to make with “Inner Circle 2.0”

This past week, Ring Of Honor finally made an announcement that fans have been waiting to hear. After weeks of back and forth along with an encounter at “Final Battle”, the match has been made! BRISCOES VS. FTR is set for April 1st at Supercard of Honor! Expect fireworks and a lot of buzz coming from this match. Two of the best tag teams on the planet are finally squaring off. What, if anyhting, this means for Ring Of Honor moving forward is anyone’s guess but this card just brought some new eyes onto the product in April. Make sure to save that date if you haven’t already. For more info: ROHWrestling.com.

Lastly, On Saturday night, Circle 6 ran their first ever show: Circle 6 Skewered on Twitch. This was the new promotion that Atticus Cogar was connected with revolving around his fallout with GCW. New company, new set of rules and a very stacked lineup for free on Twitch? No way I was missing that. Initial reaction is the in-ring work was great. Christopher Daniels vs. RSP & Biff Busick vs. Brody King really stand out. Unfortunately, it was over shadowed by a delay in starting & multiple stream crashes. Being on the east coast, I didn’t check the chance to watch after intermission (it started around 1:30am).

Eventually, the show stream went off Twitch (reasons) but from what I saw, I was very happy with the product. There are many things production wise (imo) that need to be fixed before next show: Streaming, audio, etc. but if you get the chance to check this product out, do it. Keep an eye on their social media for more news on further events.

That’s all for this week. Hit me up on Twitter and let me know what wrestling you’ve been checking out.

As always, thanks for reading and supporting 607 Podcasts & the ODPH!

March 13, 2022

Ken M

Pro Wrestling, Blog

JEFF HARDY = ALL ELITE/AEW REVOLUTION FALLOUT/GCW ASTRONAUT

March 13, 2022

Ken M

Pro Wrestling, Blog

Welcome to an all new edition of Blogs Count Anywhere, the complementary pro wrestling blog to the ODPH podcast & 607TWS (on Twitch & podcast form). The major headline grabs have been coming off the heels of All Elite Wrestling’s “AEW Revolution” pay per view. A very solid card of pro wrestling (5 hours worth including pre-show) that left AEW fans very happy. However, the entire wrestling world was buzzing on Wednesday night during AEW Dynamite. After weeks of rumors & hints, fans finally witness the AEW debut of the one & only Jeff Hardy

Hardy was released from WWE after a very weird moment at a house show late last year. No need to speculate on that situation. What should be the takeaway now is: The Hardy Boys are now in one of the deepest tag team divisions in all of wrestling. This move is a win for all parties involved. For AEW, it’s an established team that you can make some dream matches happen with. Jeff & Matt vs. Santana & Ortiz is first one on my list. This also helps AEW with adding depth to Ring Of Honor. Pending on what is going to be the final vision there, the Hardy Boys will be great additions on either roster wherever they fall.

For Matt, this is a big win. Since his debut with AEW, Matt seemed (imo) not to find a set groove in AEW. With the “Broken” persona, that went only so far with All Elite. After that was the transition to “Big Money Matt” & the HFO. With so many people under that faction, imo, it just never worked and was very confusing. Matt has a great creative mind and seeing him back with Jeff usually leads to some great new stories. i feel we will see start after the program with Andrade and the AFO (?) is over.

Lastly, Jeff gets to wipe away the messy divorce from WWE & get focused on having some great matches. There’s a bunch of opponents for him to have some classics with. Hopefully being in AEW re-ignites that fire under him and we get the “charismatic enigma” rolling again (just no Willow. That was awful).

If it were not for Hardy’s debut, the other debuts would have been the lead. On Sunday night, AEW added two new members to the roster. First up was “Swerve” Strickland. Swerve has crushed it no matter where he’s wrestled at & was one of the more surprising WWE releases in 2021. The “Hit Row” stable was gaining momentum & a high draft pick on the main roster draft. However, after one match, they never were prominently featured on WWE programming.

Swerve is a great add for AEW. Normally I would worry about the inflated roster, but with the Ring Of Honor deal, I feel more comfortable with their signings. Whoever it is will be will get ring time. Swerve will be stealing spotlights once he gets started. In his first match on AEW rampage, Swerve main-evented against longtime 205Live rival Tony Nese. It’s only a matter of When an not IF Swerve is in a title program. Post April 1st (next ROH Show), fans should see something started for this amazing superstar/mogul.

The other BIG signing is the one and only William Regal. The longtime commissioner of WWE NXT & all around wrestling legend made a BIG splash appearing at the end of the Moxley/Danielson match at revolution. Next time we saw all 3, we have a new faction in AEW. Fans also had a heartfelt promo from Regal which anyone complaining about the time he took needs to back off. Regal is a legend and deserved the moment he had. Where we are going long-term is uncertain, but with Regal’s experience, AEW would be foolish not to utilize him to the fullest on & off screen.

Another noteworthy moment from AEW this week is….we have a NEW TNT Champion! Scorpio Sky defeated Sammy Guevara & kept his win streak going to become champion. Sky is set to defend the title against Wardlow next week on Dynamite. It is LONG overdue Sky is back in the title picture, let alone champion. One of the best on the roster, Sky became lost in the shuffle (along with Ethan Page) so when this streak was announced, it really felt like it came out of nowhere. Now as champion, Sky should look to have some big prime-time matches (pending on what happens next week).

Last bit of AEW news: It was announced Britt Baker will defend her AEW women’s title against Thunder Rosa one year to the day of their MOTY candidate street fight. This time, they’re going to be in a steel cage. It’s an odd set-up for this match as Rosa lost on Sunday to Baker but was then put into a title eliminator match with Leelya Hirsch, which she won. End of the day, it doesn’t matter how we got here, it’s that we’re hear and there is NO WAY Rosa leaves without the gold.

Speaking of MOTY candidates, On Saturday Night, Game Changer Wrestling took over Atlanta Center Stage for “GCW Astronaut.” One that card, fans FINALLY got “All Heart” Blake Christian vs. ROH Campion Jonathan Gresham in an absolute classic. The whole card was extremely good, but this match stands out. As we’ve preached on 60TWS, 2022 is the #YEARofALLHEART. If you’re not familiar, you need to catch up on the work of Blake Christian since leaving WWE. Check out the replay of Fite TV ASAP.

Last but not least, Shout out to “Super B” Brandon Sevilla who kicked off Xcite Wrestling’s #XCITE10 with a big win. Super B will be stopping by 607TWS in the near future. If you’re not following him on social media, make a point to fix that asap.

Positive thoughts and energy for Big E & Scott Hall

Hit me up on Twitter and let me know what wrestling you’re checking out. For more pro-wrestling coverage, make sure you’re following all the 607 podcast family. Thanks for reading.