AEW BEACH BREAK TO WWE ROYAL RUMBLE

Welcome to an all new edition of Blogs Count Anywhere, the complementary blog to the ODPH Podcast and 607TWS on Twitch. The road to WWE Wrestlemania officially kicks off this Saturday with the Royal Rumble (8pm EST on Peacock Streaming). but there are a few other stories that deserve some time in the spotlight. Let’s talk some pro wrestling, shall we?

Photo Credit: All Elite Wrestling

All Elite Wrestling had a very strong week with it’s “Beach Break” Dynamite episode on Wednesday. The wrestling community is still buzzing about the TNT championship ladder match between Sammy Guevara (pictured above) and The RHODESLANDER aka Cody Rhodes. Both guys delivered a classic ladder match, but Sammy had a breakout performance. Guevara is getting fair comparisons to Jeff Hardy when he broke out after the Hardy Boys ladder matches in WWE.

The question now becomes is where does Guevara go from here. Guevara was just champion until Cody took it from him a few weeks ago. If Sammy is getting another run with the belt, he’s going to need a strong opponent to make a good story with to justify the move. With most of the major players ties up in story lines right now (Page/Lance Archer, Cole waiting on Omega to return, CM Punk/MJF, Danielson/Moxley to name a few), that’s not an easy question to answer. A restart with Miro is there but feels too soon. Another option might be with Team Taz. A Ricky Starks/Guevara program could be something special.

Photo Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Speaking of something special….. DANHAUSEN IS NOW ALL ELITE! Nobody saw his debut coming during the Adam Cole (Bay bay)/Orange Cassidy match, but he made a big splash there. DANHAUSEN is a huge add for AEW. For a company that’s filled with more serious performers, DANHAUSEN gives an alternative option to use on TV. DANHAUSEN is over by his creativity and uniqueness. Personally, moving him to AEW Rampage commentary until he’s fully healed from injury would be a great move IMO. For anyone not understanding why this is such a big add needs to realize on how over DANHAUSEN is and what potentials he’s going to add to AEW in the very near future.

Photo Credit: All Elite Wrestling

As previously mentioned, it is WWE Royal Rumble weekend. For full breakdowns of the card, check out ODPH & 607TWS this week (wherever you find great podcasts). There’s always a hint of mystery to the rumble as it’s almost a “forbidden door” of who is possible to walk in. My guess for the women’s rumble surprise is Rok-C but for the mens, I fully think it’s someone from AEW. There’s been a ton of Jon Moxley guesses, but what if it’s Chris Jericho? There appears to be a cordial working relationship between AEW & WWE…who better than an AEW guy who’s already appeared on WWE programing (Stone Cold’s podcast)? Guess we all will find out Saturday night….

Photo Credit: Ring Of Honor Wrestling

Ring Of Honor made a huge announcement this week: The ROH Hall Of Fame will be announcing it’s inaugural class starting this Monday (Jan 31st)! Celebrating 20 years of pro wrestling excellence, Ring Of Honor will be announcing more inductees on February 7th, 14th and 21st. This is gonna be huge so make sure you’re following Ring Of Honor Social media to see who is announced for the class of 2022!

Photo Credit: Major League Wrestling

Major League Wrestling announced that Davey Richards will be facing Alex Hammerstone for the World title on February 26th at MLW SuperFight. This should be an incredible match that you don’t want to miss! For ticket information & more match announcements: MLW.com!

Photo Credit: Xcite Wrestling

Speaking of Davey Richards, remember we are one week away until we see him (& Ace Austin from Impact Wrestling fame) hit the X for Xcite Wrestling; JonnyStock. For more information: XciteWrestling.com

That’s all for this week. Hit me up on Twitter & let me know your Royal Rumble predictions along with what’s the latest in your favorite pro-wrestling promotion! As always, thanks for reading.

MOX IS BACK! The WRLD on GCW, and ROH returns!

Welcome to an all new edition of Blogs Count Anywhere, the complementary blog to the ODPH podcast & 607TWS on Twitch! There is a very big weekend going on in the land of pro-wrestling. One of the biggest indie wrestling moments is upon us with GCW’s stacked weekend. We also heard some news coming from Ring Of Honor & AEW so let’s see what’s been the latest newsworthy items, shall we?

Photo Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Arguably the biggest news this week is Jon Moxley’s return to pro-wrestling this past Wednesday after taking a leave of absence to enter rehab for alcohol issues. Mox opened AEW Dynamite & gave a very impactful speech to the fans. Moxley’s first match back was a win against Ethan Page on AEW Rampage. Post match, it looks like a possible feud with Bryan Danielson is in his future.

This kicks off a big weekend of action for Moxley. He is slated to headline Game Changer Wrestling’s “The Wrld On GCW” Sunday the 23rd at the Hammerstein Ballroom. What an epic card that is gonna be & it’s great to see Moxley back. Fully expecting his match against Homicide to be a classic. (Editor’s note: I was supposed to be at this event, but unfortunately have to quarantine. make sure to get this on PPV).

Credit: Game Changer Wrestling

For a full GCW #TheWRLDonGCW card breakdown, check out the latest 607TWS, but festivities really kick off on Saturday the 22nd. The Indie wrestling Hall of Fame inducts the 2022 class live on Youtube & FiteTV starting at 7pm EST. Homicide (Inducted by Chris Dickinson), Jerry Lynn (inducted by Sean Waltman), Ruckus (Inducted by Sonjay Dutt), Tracy Smothers (TBA as of this writing), Lufisto (Inducted by Lenny Leonard), & Dave Prazak (Inducted by CM Punk) is this year’s nominees. It will be a great ceremony to check out. Congrats to this class & GCW for their historic weekend.

Having the highest attendance at the Hammerstein for wrestling is not something to pass by. It shows on how hard GCW & their roster works to be the best indie out there. They have created a culture that is second to none by the quality of the product they put out. Celebrate them this weekend!

Bold prediciton: I wouldn’t doubt we see some of these presenters involved on Sunday’s card….

Photo Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Ring Of Honor made a big announcement this week! The Main Event for SuperCard of Honor is set: Jonathan Gresham vs. Bandido for the ROH World title (pending Gresham doesn’t lose the belt before hand). ROH’s return card, after being on hiatus since Final Battle in December of 2021, is set for Garland, TX on April 1st. with more information coming. Honor Club has first crack at tickets right now with general public getting their chance for tickets on Jan. 28th. Super excited to see the return of Ring Of Honor & can’t wait to see this match go down!

Photo Credit: Ring Of Honor

Glory Pro Wrestling sent us a match to share that they’re streaming on YouTube currently Free:

Davey Richards vs. Minoru Suzuki

It’s a fantastic match and if you’re looking for more of Davey Richards, FYI:

Credit: Xcite Wrestling

Xcite Wrestling will be having Richards (along with Impact Wrestling’s Ace Austin) stopping by the X for #XWJonnyStock on Feb. 5th. For more information: Xcitewrestling.com!

That’s all for this week. Hit me up on Twitter & let me know what pro-wrestling you’re amped up for!

As always, thanks for reading & following! #LONGLIVEGCW

A KING HAS LANDED (IN AEW)

Welcome to an all new edition of Blogs Count Anywhere, the complementary blog to the ODPH podcast & 607TWS on Twitch! 2022 has already started with a fair share of headlines, which is crazy to think that we’re only 2 weeks into the new year. Let’s take a quick lap around the land of pro-wrestling & see what’s been making some noise, shall we?

Photo Credit: All Elite Wrestling

ALL ELITE WRESTLING

The biggest news breaking with AEW is they’ve added another big free agent to their roster: Brody King! Now, if you’re not familiar, King is a well traveled wrestler who’s had extremely memorable runs in Ring Of Honor (ROH) & Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG) to name a few. King was the big reveal from Malakai Black (his PWG tag team partner & co-champion) during a post match situation with Penta & the Varsity Blondes. “The Kings of the Black Throne” now look to enter a very deep tag team division with AEW. King will definitely stand out on the roster & make some noise if given the proper time to shine. His skills speak for themselves & persoanlly, I can’t wait to see how this faction does with the rest of the tag team division.

Photo Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Speaking of tag teams, ReDRagon is getting their feud with the Young Bucks started. This had to be one of the better AEW Dynamite openings in recent memory. Where the eventual match takes place is anyone’s guess, but I have a feeling AEW Revolution is where we will finally see this happen. Coming out of WWE NXT (at the right time IMO), O’Reilley & Fish look poised to make a run in a very packed tag team division. With their history, titles are only a matter of when, not if. Another bonus isseeing some new energy coming from these two. It can only benefit AEW long-term with ReDRagon back to being the ReDragon of old.

Photo Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Anytime Dan Lambert is on the mic, expect a reaction. Lambert has been one of the best additions to AEW when he graces their presence. He’s a very polarizing figure with fans, but I, for one, am a big fan.

Photo Credit: Ring Of Honor Wrestling

RING OF HONOR

This week on ROH TV, there’s an amazing documentary talking about their women’s word title tourney that took place in 2021! It’s a great program with insightful moments & fantastic interviews. The tourney was an instant classic & all wrestling fans should check it out!

Even though they are on a temporary break, ROH has been making a LOT of noise with a developing storyline with Impact Wrestling, an early MOTY candidate for Rok-C & now NEW ROH Women’s Champion Deonna Purrazzo, & Men’s Champion Johnathan Gresham defending the belt everywhere including GCW & his own promotion: Terminus! It’s awesome to see ROH making noise in the “downtime” & just wait for the big return in a few weeks!

Photo Credit: Xcite Wrestling

XCITE WRESTLING

Xcite Wrestling are starting a side show program beginning January 15th where it’s a smaller show in scale but delivering on the action. Xcite also just released its promotional poster for “JonnyStock” happening Feb 5th at the X. Impact’s Ace Austin & MLW’s Davey Richards are swinging thru town for this show, and who knows if the surprises stop there…. Make plans to see it live or catch it on Twitch!

That’s all for this week. Hit me up on Twitter & let me know what pro-wrestling you wanna talk about.

As always, thanks for reading!

HIT THE RESET! ITS' A NEW YEAR!

Welcome to an all new edition of Blogs Count Anywhere, the complementary pro-wrestling blog to the ODPH Podcast & 607TWS. 2021 closed out with some online drama coming from the AEW camp & that will be addressed on next week’s podcast. However, for this edition, we’re gonna be taking a quick swing thru of how 2022 is kicking off for some of the promotions you should be watching.

Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Credit: All Elite Wrestling

AEW (All Elite Wrestling)

Heading into the new year, AEW closed with a Rampage that unfortunately was overshadowed by the online drama previously mentioned. What people SHOULD be talking about is the Street Fight between Tay Conti/Anna Jay vs. The Bunny/Penelope Ford. Chairs, Tables & Barbed Wire. These ladies really stole the show & what SHOULD be talked about now is why there isn’t more of a movement to get Women’s Tag Titles on the roster instead of Trios belts.

AEW moves the flagship show Dynamite to TBS this Wednesday & has 3 title bouts scheduled on it (TBS Championship Finals between Jade Cargill, World Tag Team titles with The Lucha Bros defending against Jurassic Express & Hangman Adam Page vs. Bryan Danielson 2). This is a stacked card to say the least so let’s see how the needle moves in the ratings with this lineup. AEW could use the good PR with a solid show compared to the other drama circling them right now.

Credit: Game Changer Wrestling

GCW (Game Changer Wrestling)

GCW heads into 2022 with some major momentum with back to back shows in Atlantic City. GCW Til Infinity & Die 4 on December 31st and January 1st. This heads the hottest promotion in all the land into their biggest show to date: January 23rd at the Hammerstein Ballroom for the WRLD on GCW

GCW Till Infinity tore the house down & banking on Die 4 This to kick off 2022 with more incredible moments. I can’t stress this enough: IF YOU ARE NO WATCHING GCW, FIX THAT ASAP! It’s the true alternative for those looking for something new in their pro-wrestling.

WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment)

WWE starts 2022 with “WWE Day 1” pay-per-view on Peacock Streaming January 1st. This was broken down on the ODPH this week. With Wrestlemania season kickin off with the Royal Rumble later this month, there’s not too much expected from this show, except can Liv Morgan beat Becky Lynch? Other than that, everything else feels like it will be watchable but not earth shattering.

Credit: Xcite Wrestling

XCITE WRESTLING

Xcite kicks off a promising 2022 with “Year Of The Xcite” January 1st at the X Saturday January 1st. Dalton Castle from Ring Of Honor fame returns to upstate NY to take on Dan Barry & a great ladder match with Sean Carr & TJ Epixx vying for the Xcite International Title. Get tickets ASAP or watch the show on Twitch! You never know who’s gonna be swinging thru the X in 2022…..stay tuned

There’s a lot of pro-wrestling happening this weekend so make sure to check it out and support! Also, have your votes in for the 607TWS Brodie Awards going on this Monday LIVE on Twitch! 2022 kicks off in a BIG way for 607 podcasts so follow now & don’t miss it!

Hit me up on Twitter & let me know what promotion you’re checking out this weekend!

Happy New Year & as always, thanks for reading!

AEW is now.... Undisputed?

Happy Holidays & Welcome to an all new edition of Blogs Count Anywhere, the complementary blog to the ODPH Podcast & 607 TWS on Twitch. On this week’s blog, we’re taking a deeper look at All Elite Wrestling’s Holiday Bash run going into a huge AEW Rampage on Christmas Day (9pm EST on TNT). There has been some noteowrthy moments coming from this past week’s AEW Dynamite but none were bigger than this one, which definitely had the internet buzzing:

Credit: All Elite Wrestling

On Wednesday, Kyle O’Reilly made his AEW debut. O’Reilly ran in the match involving Adam Cole & Orange Cassidy & made an immediate impact. O’Reilly, who had just left WWE NXT after their most recent WARGAMES Takeover show & follow-up, was heavily rumored to be going to AEW when he had the chance. Synonymous with Adam Cole (Bay Bay) & Bobby Fish, this wasn’t a big stretch to think O’Reilly would bring his talents here.

However, the question now becomes where does he fit into the AEW big picture. Starting off with re-teaming with Fish (reDRagon FTW!!!) & “loosely” rejoining Cole is the early prediction after Wednesday. That move can only lead to an Elite (Omega/Young Bucks) v. FKA Undisputed Era. Who becomes the faces & heels of that storyline should be interesting. From there, things become more hazy.

O’Reilly & Fish could make a run at the tag belts but how stacked is that division for them to really make some waves? They’re easily contenders for the belts off their incredible track record, but is that enough to jump the line over Santana & Ortiz? FTR? Private Party, who were long thought to be THE next big team? Throw in the rumors of the Briscoes coming in and there’s only so much space for them to get a run.

Another option would be stay as a singles competitor & vie for a belt. O’Reilly was doing that in NXT after feuding with Cole so it’s not out of thought to run that back, but once again, the same problem stands. With such an influx of talent arriving, can he jump the line to go for a belt? Either way, AEW just landed a great star to their roster & hopefully he gets the chance to showcase his skills for a belt sooner than later (cause we all NEED more O’Reilly air guitar in our lives).

Credit: All Elite Wrestling

This was some of the best face paint you’ll ever see in wrestling. As for the rest of the show, nothing else really jumped out except for a nasty scare involving Sting throwing MJF over the top rope and MJF coming down VERY badly on his neck. Entertaining matches but not too much else earth shattering. More than likely, AEW was holding out for Rampage this week, where 2 matches really jump off the page:

Credit: All Elite Wrestling

FORGET SANTA CLAUS….HOOK ARRIVES IN HOMES FRIDAY NIGHT!!!!

In all seriousness, the wrestler who’s winning over the IWC quicker than anyone in recent memory comes back to AEW TV with a bigger opponent to face off with In Bear Bronson. This should be a better eye test to see how Hook matches up with the AEW heavyweight roster.

There is one other match that is jumping off the page as well:

Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Sammy Guevara puts up the TNT Championship against THE RHODESLANDER aka Cody Rhodes. All signs point to a title change here. Guevara hasn’t exactly been lighting Dynamite on fire since winning the belt & it was only a matter of time before the “Heel Not Heel” Rhodeslander crept back in the title picture. What will be interesting is how the live crowd on Dynamite reacts after the title chance. And if anyone is wondering why they’re gonna do the title switch, this picture sums it up best:

Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Love him or Hate him, Cody will move the needle & get a loud reaction. Has Sammy done the same with his in-ring work as champion? That all said, predicting #ANDNEW on Christmas Day.

Credit: Xcite Wrestling

Last but not least for this week, Xcite Wrestling has announced former Ring Of Honor Champion Dalton Castle with face Dan Barry at “Year of the Xcite” on January 1st. For more information: Xcitewresting.com

That’s all for this week. For more pro-wrestling talk, check out the latest from the ODPH podcast & 607TWS.

Happy holidays & thanks for reading!

TO HOOK or NOT TO HOOK

Welcome back for another edition of Blogs Count Anywhere, the complementary blog to the ODPH Podcast & 607TWS. It’s been an interesting week to say the least in the land of pro wrestling. Lots of AEW, WWE NXT, & more company talk so lets’ take a look around what’s making news, shall we?

Arguably one of the biggest stories was the in-ring debut of someone we’ve seen on the AEW roster for a while now. Coming down to the ring with “The Chairman’s Intent by Action Bronson , HOOK, son of the legendary TAZ made his debut on AEW Rampage Friday night against Fuego Del Sol.

Photo Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Initial reactions to Hook’s debut: The kid looked solid against Del Sol showing off his Judo skills. His body language was great for the story telling part of the match (Back turned to opponent, getting in Ref’s face, sliding up Del Sol’s mask to distract before putting on the submission, etc). Even the use of the Tazzmision, now known as “Redrum” was a great touch. Overall, it was a good debut for the 22 year-old.

However, by the way some in the wrestling community are running with this is how Hook’s debut is THE game changer AEW has been looking for. While the debut was good, imo, I feel that people are rushing a bit to crown him before he walked up to the throne, which isn’t fair to him.

First off, AEW Dynamite was in Long Island this week, which was basically a “hometown hero” moment with the crowd (Hook is from St. Mark’s Place in the NYC area). The pop from the crowd reflected that. Secondly, Hook’s announced weight is 20 1lbs. Doing the aesthetic test, much of his offense worked against Del Sol, who weighed in at 176 lbs. How is he going to match up with wrestlers the size of Brian Cage & Lance Archer to name a few? Jury is still out until we see that.

What I think that AEW should seriously look into at this stage is a cruiserweight division. Think about this line-up: Hook, Darby Allin, Dante Martin, Lio Rush, Rickey Starks, & Feugo Del Sol just to name a few. The talent is there to do it and watch how they would remind fans of what that division can do. Until then, let’s see some more from Hook before we crown him King.

Photo Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Photo Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Speaking of the King of AEW, this Wednesday is their mimi-event “Winter Is Coming” on AEW Dynamite. Adam Page defends his title against Bryan Danielson in the main event. This should be a classic match to close out the year for AEW. Page is the “homegrown” champon. Danielson has turned it up a few notches since debuting in AEW at September’s Full Gear PPV.

What should & will happen: Page defeats Danielson in a very competitive match.

Giving the belt to Danielson at this time would be a mistake imo. Page has earned a run with the belt & the powers that be need to have him go over here. After this, either fans will seen this ran back or possibly someone else will pop up in that #1 contender role…winner of MJF/CM Punk match perhaps?

Photo Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Saturday night is Ring Of Honor’s “Final Battle”, their final show before temp. shutting down until April. One late change to the card is Bandito is unable to wrestle on the show & former mainstay of ROH/recent AEW signee Jay Lethal is stepping up to take his place on the show. “Final Battle” takes place 7pm Saturday December 11th on pay-per-view. 607 Podcasts will be live reaction to the final show. Jump in the chat & send ROH off in style for their final event of the year.

WWE NXT has lost a few members from their roster: Kyle O’Reilly & Johnny Gargano. Both did not renew their deals with the company while Jeff Hardy was released from his contract. Where we will see those 3 end up is anyone’s guess with Jeff Hardy being the closest lock to sign with AEW. O’Reilly most likely will but Gargano is the biggest question mark. As stated on the 607 Podcasts this week, he’s a big fan of the indies and there is no better time to work them than right now. I wouldn’t expect to see Gargano in an AEW ring until Double or Nothing at the earliest, but we shall see.

Photo Credit: Xcite Wrestling

In closing & speaking of ROH, it has been announced by Xcite Wrestling that Dalton Castle will be wrestling at the X on January 1st. For more info, head over to Xcite Wrestling social media for more information.

Expect all the 607 podcast family to be talkig about these stories on more detail next week. Hit me up on Twitter & let me know what wrestling stories you wanna talk about! As always, thanks for reading.

WWE NXTWARGAMES, AEW DYNAMITE, and GCW SO ALIVE, OH MY!

Welcome back for an all new edition of Blogs Count Anywhere, the complementary blog to the ODPH Podcast & 607TWS! On this edition, it has been an absolutely crazy week of pro-wrestling action which looks to be coming to a strong finish on Sunday, December 5th (8pm on Peacock TV streaming) with WWE NXT WARGAMES! The WWE’s third brand’s annual show has a different feel to it than years past with a “New Blood vs. Old School” vibe to it since it’s transformation (god or bad) to “NXT 2.0” in September 2021. What’s also different is they have tougher competition to go against than years past.

Between AAA, NWA & GCW to name a few, NXT has to really deliver a statement show to make itself stand out compared to the other amazing cards this past weekend alone! Can they do it? It all depends on how their new talent can step up in the spotlight. Jacy Jayne, Gigi Dolin, Cora Jade, Von Wagner, Tony D’Angelo, Duke Hudson, Grayson Waller, Carmelo Hayes, Joe Gacy & Bron Brekker are all gonna have big opportunities to make an impact & carry this show. Throw in the rumored possibility that this is Johnny Gargano’s last WWE match & for everything he’s done in WWE NXT, the 2.0 class has their work cut out for them. Only time will tell what grade the new class of NXT will score on their first big test.

For live reactions & commentary for NXT wargames: Twitch.TV/607podcasts

Photo Credit: All Elite Wrestling

One BIG moment (IMO) was a match that might have flown under the radar: CM Punk vs. Lee Moriarty on AEW Dynamite this past Wednesday night! Now if you’re not familiar with Moriarty, do yourself a favor: search out his pre-AEW work. Moriarty is a STAR & finally got a chance to showcase it on AEW’s main stage (yes, he’s been featured on their YouTube programming, but THIS is DYNAMITE!) with one of their marquee stars. Moriarty really made Punk work in this one & hopefully the powers that be in AEW know what they have with him & gets a real singles push started asap for him!

Photo Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Speaking of Punk, his feud with MJF rolled on this past week. After their incredible first mic battle a week ago, this round felt a little flat. MJF was focusing on Punk putting over Britt Baker as one of AEW’s “pillars” but it was presented in a different manner in some fans’ minds & didn’t get the reaction of their last encounter (credit to Rich from 3FN/607TWS for breaking this down. Expect more on 607 TWS this week). I expect their sparring battles to get back on track next week & then, maybe we see them wrestle at “Winter Is Coming” on December 15th? With the match between Hangman Adam Page & Bryan Danielson made, they need a great co-main event to go along with it, right? Makes sense and money to me.

Photo Credit: All Elite Wrestling

Another match that deserves some praise was Kris Statlander vs. Ruby Soho in the TBS Championship tourney. Soho won in a very competitive matchup that personally, I wouldn’t mind seeing ran back down the road sooner than later. The TBS tourney final four is set with Soho vs.Nyla Rose & Jade Cargill vs. Thunder Rosa. It’s been a very good tourney which if we get Thunder Rosa vs. Soho in the finals could be a MOTY candidate. Excellent showcase for the AEW women’s division.

Photo Credit: Game Changer Wrestling

The card of the weekend (& of 2021 in some fans’ eyes) was Game Changer Wrestling So Alive. With the highest possible recommendation: ORDER THIS SHOW FROM FITE.TV! There will be a full breakdown this week on 607TWS but early preview: if you are looking for that alternative to pro-wrestling shows you see on TV each week, GCW is what you should be watching & this is the card to start with!

As of this blog, no results in on Xcite Wrestling Fight Club but wishing nothing but the best on Rob Cook’s retirement & post-wrestling plans.

That’s all for this edition of the blog. What wrestling are you watching? Hit me up on Twitter & let me know about what promotions are crushing it right now! Don’t forget to follow 607podcasts on Twitch & join in the chat for live reactions & commentary to WWE NXT Wargames! Thanks for reading!

AEW FULL GEAR Spotlight

Let’s talk some All Elite Wrestling Full Gear On this edition of Blogs Count Anywhere! AEW closes out it’s Pay Per View schedule of 2021 with a very solid card. Full Gear is talking place from the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota starting the Buy-in preview show at 7pm EST. The ODPH Podcast & 607TWS each had great previews of this card, but for this blog, I want to deep dive into the 3 matches that make this a must-buy card! Let’s get the blog started, shall we?

Photo Credit: All Elite Wrestling

FTR vs. LUCHA BROS. (c) - AEW TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP

This will probably be the match of the night. The Lucha Bros. finally won the tag team titles from the Young Bucks at All Out in September. Since then, the door’s been wide open for the tag division. First ones walking thru were FTR, who have been one team vastly overlooked for the title picture since they wrestled the Young Bucks way back when. This feud has built some good steam behind it with FTR stealing the AAA tag titles via a “unique” alliance with Andrade. This storyline has spawned off another match on this card with Pac/Rhodeslander vs. Andrade/Malakai Black. Proof that what these 4 are doing is working very well.

As for the match tonight, I fully bank on these 4 stealing the show. If fans need a reminder on how great tag team wrestling can be, look no further. Both teams bring a different ring style to this match & have great in-ring chemistry. Plus, the Lucha Bros. always go the extra mile on PPV’s. AEW doesn’t like doing short title reigns so seeing #AndNew as the outcome, but the fans are the winners in the end.

Winner: Lucha Bros.

Photo Credit: All Elite Wrestling

CM PUNK vs. EDDIE KINGSTON

Who would have thought that the biggest moment out of the ending of AEW Revolution wasn’t the botched mine explosion (…”wrestling), but the evolution of Eddie Kingston as the heart & soul of AEW since. No one waives the brand’s flag harder & higher than the Mad King. IMO, they missed a great opportunity to give him the AEW TNT Championship at All Out, but he’s still in the mix of great storylines since then.

On the other hand, the CM Punk return to wrestling has been met with mixed results (until this feud). Since coming back after 7 years away from pro-wrestling, Punk has been on a “honeymoon” phase doing more good PR promos than reminding everyone he’s the “Best In The World”. Fans have seen some flashes that the phase might be over soon (ie: his last AEW Rampage commentary night) but a backstage interview was interrupted & we finally might get the real return.

Their promo battle on AEW Rampage was good, but Kingston won that round easily. Punk looked like he was finally challenged (which is a good thing). Kingston spoke from the heart & that’s his biggest strength: he connects with fans like few people can. If he’s the voice of AEW, Punk finally heard it.

One promo segment sold me on this match. I’m not expecting anything classic as far as technical holds. I’m expecting Kingston to fight until his body can’t anymore. I also expect him to push Punk into deep waters and remind him of what he could be, and not what he should be right now.

Winner: CM Punk

Photo Credit: All Elite Wrestling

“HANGMAN” ADAM PAGE VS. KENNY OMEGA (C) - AEW WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP

The history between these two harbors the history of AEW. From it’s opening card, Page has been thought of as the face of what AEW should be (along with MJF). After being defeated by Chris Jericho for the inaugural world championship, Page’s AEW tenure has been steered away from the singles titles. His only taste of AEW gold was in the tag team ranks. Otherwise, it’s been a man who likes his drinks more than his wrestling which wasn’t the Hangman screaming Cowboy Shit opening night.

Omega coming to AEW was huge at the time. After leaving a noteworthy stay in New Japan Pro Wrestling, his initial start with AEW didn’t set the wrestling world on fire. Forgettable matches putting over other talent until being paired with Adam Page & winning the tag titles. Their storyline was great with Omega doing the eventual turn. Page disappeared & Omega finally became “The Best Bout Machine” again by winning the world title from Jon Moxley. From that point on, Omega has led a new “version” of the Elite (Young Bucks, Good Bros. Adam Cole “BayBay”) into the forefront of AEW.

Page started making a push towards the belt & all eyes looked to All Out as the moment where Page got back on track. However, there was a change in plans & that moment didn’t happen. Page was away from AEW but returned in a big way winning a world title shot after having his original one taken away during a Dark Order/Elite stipulation match. Saturday is finally the day this story gets settled.

Honestly, this one isn’t as cut and dry to call a winner as some might think. While Page was away, Bryan Danielson debuted with AEW & has been the hottest wrestler on the roster with high-profile wins over Bobby Fish & Minoru Suzuki along with a time limit draw with Omega at the bug NYC Dynamite show. Danielson is now in the finals of a world title tourney, which the winner gets a title shot. the same tourney Omega defeated Page in a year ago to start his title reign.

Factoring in all that, I’m going to leave my prediction as follows:

Who SHOULD Win & I’m rooting for: Hangman Adam Page

Who WILL Win: Kenny Omega, only to face Bryan Danielson at the final TNT AEW Dynamite taping

That all said, let me know on Twitter your predictions for AEW Full Gear. Also remember to follow 607podcasts on Twitch as we live react to the card on Saturday Night. As always, thanks for reading!