June 12, 2022

Ken M

All Elite Wrestling, Pro Wrestling, AEW, entertainment

NWA 74

June 12, 2022

Ken M

All Elite Wrestling, Pro Wrestling, AEW, entertainment

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Photo Credit: National Wrestling Alliance

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

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

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

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

Thanks for reading!

May 28, 2022

Ken M

AEW, Pro Wrestling, Wrestling

AEW DOUBLE OR NOTHING 2022 preview

May 28, 2022

Ken M

AEW, Pro Wrestling, Wrestling

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 — 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 — 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 — 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 Young Bucks — “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!

May 22, 2022

Ken M

Pro Wrestling, television, GCW, AEW, entertainment

AEW DOUBLE OR NOTHING WEEK/ GCW MANIAC/ GP MASSIVE AGGRESSION

May 22, 2022

Ken M

Pro Wrestling, television, GCW, AEW, entertainment

Welcome to an all new edition of Blog Count Anywhere, the complementary pro wrestling blog to the ODPH Podcast and #607TWS on Twitch (and in podcast form). This week, all the eyes that aren’t focused on the Sasha banks/Naomi/WWE drama are laser focused on the 3 year anniversary of All Elite Wrestling’s “Double Or Nothing” going down in Las Vegas May 29th!

AEW’s biggest* (depends on opinion between DoN & All Out) Pay Per View event has forever been mentioned as the “Anniversary” date of the Tony Khan-led company. 3 years ago, this was the debut show following the New Years Eve announcement & following press conferences shortly there after introducing the wrestling world to the newest player on the pro wrestling landscape. Since that time, a LOT has changed & going into the show, there’s a few story lines to keep an eye on this week of AEW programming.

Are we heading into the “Reign Of Punk”? Will “Hangman” Adam Page retain? This is the question on the minds of AEW fans. There has been some promo segments between the two & one final “face-to-face” is announced for Dynamite this week between the DoN main event participants, but does it already feel like all signs are leaning to #ANDNEW on Sunday?

Page’s run as champ has felt very lackluster in comparison to other previous champions. On the flip side, Punk has come off better in each segment with this feud and in more position to FINALLY go “Best In The World 2.0” by the time the match is over. IMO, Page needs to have a very strong moment on Wednesday night to sway where things appear to be going. It’s possible, but I’m still saying we’ve got a new champ at DoN until further notice.

The next one to keep an eye on this week is the Blackpool Combat Club (BCC) members Jon Moxley & Bryan Danielson teaming with Eddie Kingston, Santana and Ortiz vs. “The Wizard” and his Appreciation Society. There isn’t a tremendous amount of build up for this as far as the BCC is concerned but it still works. The JAS (ugh) storyline with Team Kingston has been solid. The billing for this match is “Anarchy In The Arena” and it should be.

A few quick notes concerning this match:
1. Wheeler Yuta is not involved in this as he’s currently competing in Japan for New Japan Pro Wrestling’s Best Of The Super J’s

2. Bryan Danielson appeared to have been slightly banged up after AEW Rampage tapings after a weird freak issue with his leg getting stuck in the rampway. As of this blog, he’s slated to still be a go

Fans shouldn’t expect a lot of technical moves and be ready for a great street fight as this is how it’s looking to play out. Anytime we get Moxley teaming up with Kingston is a win.

The last one to watch this week is the “Undisputed Elite” stories. It was announced the Young Bucks will be facing the Hardys at DoN. Two great teams facing off for the first time in an AEW ring? Solid addition for the card. This is resulting from the aftermath of Adam Cole defeating Jeff Hardy in the Owen Hart Foundation Tourney. It also seems as we’re gearing for a possible Cole/Samoa Joe Mens final for the Tourney as well.

Joe punched his ticket for a match with Kyle O’Reilly with a win over the AEW debuting Johnny ELITE (fka John Morrison, Johnny Impact, etc.). With a win there, the finals are set unless fan get a major swerve and its O’Reilly vs. Cole (Bay Bay) one more time. Somehow I don’t think AEW is gonna go that route for the finals but we will have to tune in on Wednesday to find out!

Switching gears, Game Changer Wrestling kicked off a big west coast pair of shows with GCW Manic taking place on May 21st and “GCW Downward Spiral” happening next Saturday. Get the bundle on Fite & don’t miss these incredible shows

Glory Pro Wrestling has a cant-miss card airing on their YouTube page Sunday May 22nd! GP “Massive Agression” is headlined by Eddie Kingston vs. Davey Richards & many other great matches on this card! Follow now and don’t miss it!

Last but not least, Major League Wrestling has announced Lince Dorado is the latest name entered for Battle Riot 4 on June 23rd! For more information, check out MLW.com

That’s al the pro wrestling talk for this edition. Hit me up on Twitter and let me know what pro wrestling you’re watching this week. For more pro wrestling content, Follow the ODPH podcast and 607 TWS.

As always, thanks for reading!

May 14, 2022

Ken M

Blog, entertainment, Pro Wrestling, television, AEW, GCW

DARBY vs HARDY/ALL EYES ON MJF/GCW MANIAC

May 14, 2022

Ken M

Blog, entertainment, Pro Wrestling, television, AEW, GCW

Welcome to an all new edition of Blogs Count Anywhere, the complementary pro wrestling blog to the ODPH podcast and 607TWS on Twitch (and in podcast form). It’s been a few weeks since the last blog & apparently someone heard the call out about NOT sending over files on the latest podcasts becuse the deck is now reloaded to talk some pro wrestling with everyone. It’s been an interesting week to say the least so lets catch up on some of the latest news, shall we?

Kicking off the news cycle is All Elite Wrestling. On AEW Dynamite, The Owen Hart Foundation Tourney is fully underway and fans were gifted one of the wildest matches in recent memory for the first round: Darby Allin vs. Jeff Hardy. They made this match a “No Rules” one and fully went over the top with the spots. Take a look at this literally INSANE ladder jump from Darby onto a table of chairs with Jeff in the middle of the path! Not to be outdone, Jeff did a spot landing badly on the steel steps in attempts to hit Darby with a move. After the smoke cleared, Jeff Hardy advances onto the next round of the tourney to face Adam Cole (Bay Bay).

While this match gave some memorable moments, it was one that also brought some concern as well. Both these guys wanted to steal the show (and did) but the two spots that stood out were extremely risky even for the style of wrestling they’re known for. Allin and Hardy are considered “daredevils” in the minds of fans. They lived up to the moniker but post match, were those two dangerous spots worth it to tell their story? In comparison, you had Cole vs. Dax in a very solid opening bout with no wild spots. When did the tourney rules change on the fly for “No Rules”?

Imo, they could have told the same story with some big move spots but not over the top as this match felt. Either way, I’m glad (thus far) no major injuries were reported post match. Considering how abusive those spots were for two guys that have put their bodies on the line numerous times and dodged the bullet of something career ending, no news is definitely good news post match. Onto the next round…

There has also been a LOT of rumbling about the one and only MJF. Rumors have been swirling about possibly looking elsewhere when his contract runs out and being unhappy with the direction of his character. On AEW Dynamite, they have set up him vs. Wardlow at AEW Double Or Nothing but not without rehashing some familiar storylines…..

For Wardlow to get his match, he has to take 10 lashes from MJF THEN defeat Shawn Spears in a cage match with MJF as referee. It’s god to see this storyline get more time as Wardlow is now on his “Batista”push but haven’t see seen this exact storyline play out in AEW before? Remember when Cody Rhodes endured lashes and a cage match to get to MJF? I do - February 2020. Why are we going back to that well for ideas? If the frustration reports are true, I can fully understand why.

MJF is a STAR in the business. Why not give him something fresh to work with than hit the reset on the Cody feud of the past? For someone as talented as he is, there should be another way to get to the match with Wardlow. After that match, where do we go from here? Imo, there’s only one way to go (and I won’t mind the reset here): Set him on the path to face CM Punk, who WILL be world champion at Double or Nothing, at All OUT on Labor Day weekend. Otherwise, if he’s not involved in a title program, the rumors will become even louder heading into the summer.

Other quick AEW notes: Seeds are getting planted for a possible Blood and Guts match with the Blackpool Combat Club (minus Wheeler Yuta, who will be involved in the BOSJ’s tourney in New Japan) teaming with Eddie Kingston, Santana & Ortiz vs. the Jericho Appreciation Society. Fully all-in for this match. Makes sense for all parties involved. This is also a HUGE moment for Daniel Garcia and 2.0 to showcase their talents. This could be a late addition to Double Or Nothing, but no matter when this goes down, it’s gonna be a fun match to watch. Stay tuned.

HOOKHausen is REAL! The match has been made (after a complete squash of Danhuasen by Tony Nese). Hook made the save post match and the handshake heard round the world happened! HOOKHausen will face Smart Mark Sterling and Tony Nese on the buy-in for Double or Nothing. AEW’s version of the Rock n’ Sock connection starts now! Curious to see how far they go, but I’m all in for this pairing.

Quick Notes: Major League Wrestling had their big “Kings Of Colosseum” card this past Friday night. Huge buzz about the Taya Valkyre v. Holidead match as well as the impact from the new Samoan Swat team. Fallout from this great card will only get fans more excited as MLW heads to NYC for Battle Riot 4 on June 23rd. Follow MLW on Twitter for more information.

GCW heads into next week with one of the best cards you will find anywhere with GCW Maniac. The home for the BEST scramble matches in pro wrestling has one that you can’t miss! AJ Gray puts the GCW Extreme Championship on the line against John Wayne Murdoch, Jack Cartwheel, Jimmy Lloyd, Cole Radrick and NINJA MACK! Make plans to order this card on Fite.tv as soon as possible!

Coming off the HUGE show at the Pageant, which was an absolute classic card, Glory Pro Wresting has another must watch card with “Massive Aggression” taking place on May 22nd 3 pm CST. Davey Richards vs. Eddie Kingston….NUFF said. Even better? the card is FREE on Glory Pro You Tube so drop that subscribe now and don’t miss the show!

Last but not least, Xcite Wrestling had to reschedule Xcite vs. The Worlda week later due to a situation out of their control. Fear not, as the show is slated for Saturday May 14th with a marquee match-up with Sean Carr returning to Xcite after some time off to face a rising star in the ranks of the xcite roster whose return can only be called “SuperB” thus the nickname. Carr vs. Super B is the match to catch this weekend. Hit Xcite on Facebook for all the latest happenings there.

Its good to be back talking some pro wrestling. Hit me up on Twitter and let me know what pro wrestling you’re checking out! As always, thanks for reading and supporting 607 podcasts!

April 23, 2022

Ken M

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

AEW x NJPW FORBIDDEN DOOR / BATTLE OF FTR / 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!