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!

AEW DOUBLE OR NOTHING 2022 preview

Welcome to an all new edition of Blogs Count Anywhere, the complementary pro wrestling blog to the ODPH podcast and 607 TWS on Twitch. For this edition, we’re taking one final look at All Elite Wrestling’s big pay-per-view event “Double Or Nothing.” AEW’s big night is live from Las Vegas Sunday May 29th, 8PM EST on Bleacher Report & traditional cable ppv outlets (international - Fite Tv).

This week has been a solid build up for the card with last minute additions happening on AEW Rampage Friday night. Factor in what Tony Khan made mention of during the media scrum that we attended and this card has the eyes of the pro wrestling world on it. With a HUGE AEW Dynamite in Los Angeles looming per Khan’s comments in the media scrum, AEW’s DoN has a lot of pressure riding on it to deliver on a 13 match card. Let’s take one last look and see where the card stands and give some predictions, shall we?

CM PUNK

Photo Credit All Elite Wrestling

AEW World Championship: CM Punk vs. Hangman Page (c)

The main event has arguably the most polarizing reaction out of AEW fans. On one side, you have CM Punk and since his return to pro wrestling last August, Punk has been in a honeymoon phase since. Only when he had a memorable feud with MJF did we finally see the “CM Punk” of lore. Now with a title shot forthcoming, Punk will prove if he’s back and still the “Best In The World” or if the honeymoon is truly over.

On the other side is Hangman Adam Page. The “Homegrown” AEW hero has had a long and winding road to the world title with a memorable win once he finally got there. However, the post-win feuds have been lackluster and forgettable. When the first title defense was a time limit draw, there were signs to watch. Now with Punk on the horizon, is it time to change hands with the belt?

PICK: CM PUNK. While it should stay with Page, Punk has looked more comfortable in their promos and seems like the comments of Khan and company lean that they’re ready for him to be the guy. Page’s run needs a big win over someone like Punk to justify a lot but I feel that window is closed for now. Get ready for the summer of Punk on AEW programming

Thunder Rosa

Photo Credit All Elite Wrestling

AEW Women’s World Championship: Serena Deeb vs. Thunder Rosa (c)

Mark my words, if these 2 are given time, they won’t be the co-main event. They WILL be the main event. Easily, my pick for Match Of The Night stays locked in. Deeb has been a worthy contender after a top level feud with Hikaru Shida. It’s been only a matter of time until Deeb was in title talk. On the other side is Rosa, who’s win over Baker to win the title was an epic moment in the history of AEW. However, much like Page, Rosa’s run with the belt has disappointing due to the fact there’s only been 1 title defense and even less tv interview time. Seriously, how do they que the outro music during that promo?

Pick: THUNDER ROSA. Much like Page, Rosa needs the win here and WILL get it. Deeb could get the win but I feel that Rosa needs that big ppv win before handing the belt off. She will get that here and then (hopefully) gets some more time in a noteworthy feud before dropping the belt.The only thing that could mess those plans up is IF the stipulation for winning the Owen Hart Tourney is a title shot. IF that is the case, Rosa’s time as champion might be short lived which is a flat-out crime!

Eddie Kingston

Photo Credit All Elite Wrestling

Anarchy in the Arena: Blackpool Combat Club with Eddie Kingston, Santana & Ortiz vs. (sigh) Jericho Appreciation Society

A new faction of “sports entertainers” for Chris Jericho leads to fallout vs. former members of AEW’s first group, the Inner Circle. Mix in the history of Eddie Kingston, the heart and soul of AEW, with the team FKA LAX and there’s an instant story here. It’s a good chance for 2.0 and Daniel Garcia to get some time but I don’t see this going any other way than pick: BCC/KINGSTON/SANTANA/ORTIZ

MJF vs. Wardlow

AEW’s best storyline of Wardlow breaking free from his contact under MJF finally gets it’s closure. Rehashing the Cody Rhodes/MJF from 2020 plays out the same way as Wardlow will have a star making moment much like Batista when he broke away and defeated Triple H. Pick: WARDLOW

Men’s Owen Hart Foundation Tournament Finals: Adam Cole vs. Samoa Joe

Women’s Owen Hart Foundation Tournament Finals: Britt Baker DMD vs. Ruby Soho

Both tourneys have had surprise opponents and excellent matches honoring the late Owen Hart. It hasn’t been clarified what the winner wins but it’s a safe bet to think title shot. That said, picks: BAKER & COLE. If Punk is champ, who else but Adam Cole (Bay Bay) to start off against? Samoa Joe could get that win here but guessing the ROH storylines will play a factor in this one and in Cole’s favor.

Baker never leaves the title scene and is so OVER with the crowd, it feels as if AEW is getting antsy to get her back as champion. Granted, Baker and Rosa is a great feud, but we’ve seen this play out before. Soho would be a great challenger and I’m hoping I’m wrong here, but it senses like Baker’s got this one locked up and poised to make another run for the gold.

Swerve Strickland

Photo Credit All Elite Wrestling

AEW World Tag Team Championship: Swerve Strickland & Keith Lee vs. Ricky Starks & Powerhouse Hobbs vs. Jurassic Express (c) w/ Christian Cage

Why FTR isn’t in on this match is beyond me BUT take nothing away from this match. 6 very talented people are gonna go hard to steal the show in this one. Jurassic Express has been champs for a while and it’s time to switch things up. Plus, Christian Cage has been teasing that heel turn for a while now. What better time than to cost the champs the belt? Pick: SWERVE AND LEE

TBS Championship: Anna Jay vs. Jade Cargill (c)

Cargill is becoming a star before our eyes. Her run with the TBS championship isn’t slowing down anytime soon. No real builds here other than to showcase Cargill and nothing wrong with that. Pick: CARGILL

House of Black (M. Black, Brody King & Buddy Matthews) vs. Death Triangle (PAC, Fenix & Penta)

Expect some wild-ass action going down. Both factions are making a claim for the best trios team in AEW. With Fenix back to full strength, this is gonna be a fun one to watch. Can’t wait to see him match up with Matthews. End of the night, Never bet against the house. Pick: HOUSE OF BLACK

“Young Hardys”

Photo Credit All Elite Wrestling

Matt & Jeff Hardy vs. The Young Bucks

If this was 2018, this would have been main event. There has been a quick build for this based off the names involved. No real story here and going in with an extremely low bar. IMO, the Hardys haven’t looked like the Hardys of old since re-uniting in AEW. This will entertain but not much else. Picks: YOUNG BUCKS

Kyle O’Reilly vs. Darby Allin

So this match was made on Rampage for “reasons”? Never mad to see “Cool” Kyle on TV but fearing this is leading to a match with ReDRagon vs. Darby and STING. Plus Darby is prolly gonna take a foolish bump here when they should just have a great wrestling match. Pick: DARBY (only to build for the tag match)

Ethan Page, Scorpio Sky, and Paige Van Zandt vs. Tay Conti, Sammy Guevara and Frankie Kazarian

Disappointed that the TNT title isn’t being defended but the most controversial couple in AEW now brings in Frankie into their story. PVZ is going to bring some eyes to the match being a former UFC name but expecting the “faces” going over on this one, Picks: SAMMY, TAY AND FRANKIE

Pre-Show Buy in: HOOKHausen vs. Tony Nese and “Smart” Mark Sterling

Its the era of HookHausen and we live in it. expect AEW’s “Rock And Sock Connection” to get a win to start their story and the night off right for AEW fans. Pick: HOOKHAUSEN

The action goes down Sunday May 29th with an extremely impoirtant AEW Dynamite live from LA this week. Hit me up on Twitter and give me your predicyions for the monster AEW card!

As always, Thanks for reading and supporting the ODPH & 607TWS!

AEW x NJPW FORBIDDEN DOOR / BATTLE OF FTR / GCW THE OLD ME

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).

Photo Credit: All Elite Wrestling

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

Photo Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Photo Credit: All Elite Wrestling

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.

Photo Credit: All Elite Wrestling

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.

Photo Credit: All Elite Wrestling

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.

Photo Credit: Major League Wrestling

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

Photo Credit: Glory Pro Wrestling

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!

Photo Credit: Game Changer Wrestling

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!