#‘tHeY aReN’T a DrAw FoR pPV’

[mzcain27]

I couldn’t fight in the UFC, I’d get fired when I jumped the cage after a win in front of Mark Zuckerberg like you’re next bitch

[taigastyle]

Why am I seeing so many people convinced P**k is coming back and soon.. I’m not strong enough to go through it seriously… if ratings aren’t currently “doing well” and how is bringing back *that* one person a major win? Isn’t it kind of troublesome that ratings will improve because one person returns? I think that says a lot about the company is they’re propping up this person and giving them “quality” and not to the rest…

quick answer: because chris jericho tweeted that he had always loved working with @ punk so obviously everyone who were clowns and thought jericho was the only/main anti-punk voice in the locker room are celebrating thinking this means they've won!! he's back. and jericho is a goat and the best ever etc. the rest of my reply is beneath the read more because i got rambly and long winded

longer answer: the ratings aren't even doing that badly, january was really strong both for ratings and for in person ticket sales (their walk up tickets sales were really good) but one meh week and one bad week means the sky is falling and we have got to bring back in the hero cm punk because he is a ratings mega draw (which ignores the reality that the aew product had never been hotter in the june and especially july lead ups before punk even stepped foot in the company at the end of august, but again people don't really care about the real facts, it is simply that hurr durr purrnk is a draw).

now when hangman was champion the bad ratings were put on his head, but the good ticket sales/ppv numbers weren't accredited to him. which i think is unfair, as people were invested in the hangman and hangman/kenny story for all the years building up to the crowning moment of his win. and it was kind of thrown away in favor of guy who was having a goldberg run burying over talent he could leech off of (if that sounds familiar to say cody rhodes fans: hi!! how ya doin, welcome, hope you enjoy his mania moment). i genuinely think you can look at these bad ratings and see there's been a decline since mox lost the title. mjf is not over like he was, his character is stagnant, and his offensive promos aren't edgy they're just bad.

people think punk coming back will fix the ratings, but i genuinely don't think so. he was very protected when he was on tv, given the best spots so of course his numbers look good, but if you really look - and especially say the time he returned from injury - the numbers weren't great. punk talked about how he made that million dollar gate but they've done three of those without him, and a lot of the fans of aew from before punk showed up have said that the original feel of the company is gone and it is soulless. good wrestling alone cannot keep a company hot.

all that being said here's where we're at, pretty much every journalist is sniffing around it and afraid to say it outright but kenny omega's working on either injured time or a handshake agreement. aaa who had a fine working relationship with aew until wwe hopped in have said they're not working with aew anymore, but they'll work with kenny omega. the bucks contracts are up at the end of this year. hangman's contract is up this year. tony is at a cross road right now where he can pick the four guys he chose and made this company with, who the fans are invested with, who are younger and have proven they'll work through injuries and pandemics to make aew work. who have scouted and brought great talent in, who have invested into the company from day one, or a guy who has maybe a year, two years max left (if he doesn't get injured again) who was offered day one to be a part of everything and said nah and waited until everyone else had made it clear aew was successful and came in to rapturous applause and love and killed that good will throughout the fanbase and locker room as the months ticked by.

four vs one.

wwe have said they're not as aggressively pursuing jay white because they're focusing on a bigger talent, and i know everyone wants that to be ibushi, but it's gotta be Kenny or Hangman. ibushi would be a great book end to nab as well, but both kenny is the bigger name, kenny is who they wanted in 2018, who they were so sure they had that vince, trips, steph, and shane all came out and cut a promo smugly alluding to the fact they had them, only to be made to look like geeks over it. or page who is young can go in the ring/cut a promo and is so beloved he could be one hell of a top guy for them.

do i think punk will be back soon? idk maybe, they've set up a precedent about what he has to do to be welcomed back with thunder rosa. she stood before the locker room and apologized/owned up to all of the things she did that had hurt people and if you think phil brooks is capable of going mea culpa! then sure he's coming back.

do i think punk vs any elite match would happen? no. and i do think if punk comes back the elite will leave. do i think that in the long run this will be better for the aew numbers? not one bit! i personally won't start watching wwe again i watched it for years and not even a golden lovers reuinion could make me watch their product on a weekly basis again. it's bad, it's production is nauseating, and on a 'parasocial note' it would be incredibly disheartening to see guys that i respect and who have been consistent in calling out the fed and the fans of the fed go over there it's gonna be crushing.

would i keep watching aew? idk probably not. there are wrestlers i love within the company, but largely the stories they're telling right now, and their top champion (and their potential next tag champs) i actively dislike and don't enjoy. so there's not much impetus for me to keep watching a product for a couple wrestlers i like. again, i did that with wwe and it became insulting as a viewer to do that, and was in part what made me stop watching for years! so i think i would stop watching wrestling again and move on with my life. sucks, but i'm very into watching things i like and not giving my time to things i don't.

so all this to say there's no actual anything that says he's coming back, and the earliest he could be back is still a couple months away. but people love to work themselves over the winks and nudges some people who maybe know something might have maybe implied. but you're right bringing one guy back to save the show means you've fucked up the show, especially when it was pulling in over 1mil viewers before that guy came in. if you're fumbled the bag over making the show just about him once (and i think that is easy to say, no matter how good the matches were you cannot point to a guy he was in a feud with who was better off after losing to him! but i can point to a good few who were worse off.) at the expense of guys who are fan favorites (twitter and tumblr are a bubble, it's seen time and time again. remember when everyone hated britt baker and were tired of her and wanted her off their tv except she was still getting the loudest pops from crowd after crowd?) idk

it's bad all around, contract szn is always miserable but who knows where and what will happen. show to show my enjoyment for dynamiate & rampage remains about the same because i have fun watching it with friends/family and talking about it, but everything outside of those three hours i am just not having fun with wrestling unless it is fun i am making for myself. so i'd just say if you're in a similar boat as me then have fun! make your fun, i love doing my silly little edits that make me insane, and talking to friends about the hot guys who beat the piss out of each other. and if i don't have fun i solve that by muting it when mjf speaks <3

[mayhemproduces]

Brody King vs Katsuyori Shibata

MPW is notorious for its random dream matches, PPV worthy collisions given for free on live TV, and that’s no difference with this match here. The wrestling legend, The Wrestler, Katsuyori Shibata, has been given a giant task as he collides with The Fallen once again. And Brody King is a big, big man. Standing a few inches and 80 pounds over Shibata, the size difference isn’t as noticeable compared to the rest of the roster, but there’s few people who can make Shibata look small. Standing toe to toe - worth mentioning, for the first time in their careers, in singles action - Brody does. Shibata has to stare up at him, almost expecting his response - and he answers with a right hook! This match breaks down into a slugfest from the get go! There’s no love loss between these brutal punches, each one getting in their own shot before Shibata tries an irish whip, but Brody reverses, and Shibata hits a big boot! That’s a hard boot to the face knocking Brody back, but he bounces off the ropes, and delivers a big boot back! Shibata bounces off the ropes, looking loopy, and Brody sends him back with a stiff forearm to the jaw. Rocking back to her feet, Brody tries another boot, but it’s caught! Shibata catches it, and Brody’s shaking his head before Shibata pulls him in, leg captured, and tosses him overhead with an Exploder suplex!

King stumbles back into the corner, holding his gut as he tries to suck in a deep breath, but Shibata has other intentions. He sizes Brody up and launches a STIFF shoot kick, nearly caving in Brody’s chest, and his legs give out. Shibata shakes out his shoulders, back turned to Brody as he walks across the ring, getting prepared for that hesitation dropkick, but he doesn’t realize Brody’s coming behind him until Shibata’s CRUSHED against the turnbuckles, Brody using his entire body to flatten The Wrestler! Shibata slides down to the bottom turnbuckle, and King looks over the crowd before he begins to bark. As much as they hate The Fallen, Brody King is one infectious fellow, and they can’t not bark along. Brody makes his way to the other side of the ring, pounds his chest and roars, before he charges, SQUASHING Shibata with a cannonball senton! Shibata might have to change his nickname to The Pancake after that!

And it seems that this match is almost over, as Brody’s setting up for the Gonzo Bomb! Thankfully, before he can execute, Shibata slips out and chops the back of Brody’s knee, dropping him to the mat. Shibata’s on him in a second. Brutal knees connect on the side of Brody’s neck as Shibata forcefully drives them in. Shibata finally relents, drawing him up and planting Brody with a Michinoku Driver, leg thrown over him for the pin.

1… Kickout!

Shibata grabs the arm as it comes up for the kickout, propping Brody up with a knee to the spine, the trapped arm around his throat. Shibata slaps his side so King gives up the other arm, effectively locking in a straight jacket chin lock. Between the knee in his back and his own arms wrapped around his throat, King’s in trouble, but refuses to tap. His long legs aren’t nearly close enough to the ropes, so his only way out is to fight. Shibata wrenches back on the hold, yelling at him in Japanese, trying to force the fight out of him. Brody won’t stay down that easily, though. He’s fighting his way to his feet, and throws Shibata off with a double arm wringer of sorts. Brody slinks up behind him before Shibata’s able to roll back to his feet, looking for a suplex, but it’s blocked by Shibata. Shibata refuses to let Brody get it in all the way, and wiggles free of the hold. Roundhouse kick thrown by Shibata, Brody ducks but can’t avoid the second. Brody stumbles back, and Shibata looks to take him to the mat with a cross armbar - but Brody doesn’t let him lock it in! Brody clasps his hands together and pulls Shibata up into a sitout powerbomb! 

1… 2… Kickout!

Pulling Shibata up by the hair, Brody lines him up before launching a knife edge chop, connecting straight on Shibata’s chest. Shibata barely moves, and almost looks bored at the attempt. Seething, Brody asks him to do better, and Shibata delivers tenfold, blasting Brody with the STIFFEST shot of the night! Shibata launches a THUNDEROUS kick to Brody’s chest, knocking him straight down to the mat! Brody gasps deeply, trying to suck in even the smallest amount of air, but Shibata doesn’t give him the chance, and hits a second incredibly stiff, incredibly powerful kick, nearly caving in Brody’s chest, as he’s knocked back to the ropes! Rugged gasps are interrupted as Shibata peppers him with open palm strikes, slapping his face around before landing low kicks on both legs, Brody trapped from every angle before Shibata rear back, connecting with a SICK, brutal palm strike! Shibata’s eyes never waiver from Brody as he backs away, watching closely as Brody struggles to lift himself up with the ropes. King can’t stand. He drops to his knees, but Shibata gives him a helping hand, lifting Brody up and planting him with a Brainbuster! That was a STRUGGLE for Shibata, but he’s able to execute the move, floating over into a pinning attempt!

1… 2… Kickout!

Both wrestlers are worse for wear after that, but Shibata’s up first, running the ropes, and tries to bring Brody down with a clothesline, but he stands tall! Shibata bounces back after colliding with Brody’s chest. An unusual occurrence for him as it’s usually the other way around. Most have a hard time even bringing Shibata to the mat, but Brody is unwavering. He runs the ropes again, knocking Brody back with another clothesline attempt, but he won’t go down! So Shibata goes low, chopping at those tree-trunk-like legs of King with low, throbbing kicks, before grabbing him and placing a knee into his sternum. A kick to the chest, twisting into a well placed elbow, right on the side of the head, before landing another low kick to the leg, nearly knocking Brody down - but Brody grabs him! Clothesline CHOPS down Shibata! Big lariat by the big man, and Brody covers!

1… 2 - Kickout!

Shibata’s still trying to shake off the effects of that brutal clothesline, but the match stays alive for the moment. The way Brody so effortlessly brought him down with one swift blow rattled Shibata, especially after the striking exchange that came just before. Usually he can keep people down once they feel the effects of his legs, but Brody King adjusted.

Trying to get Shibata in position to finish this match, but Brody can’t even get him off the ground. Shibata stays frozen in place, refusing to budge. A brutal forearm is used to weaken him, but he still won’t budge. Shibata swats at the legs, beating the back of Brody’s knee until he lets him go. Body shot and a forearm nearly knocked Brody down. They’re sluggish and still clearly out of it, but Shibata throws a forearm that hits Malakai square on the jaw. Malakai’s rattled by it, but throws one back with the same amount of force. Shibata throws another, and Malakai responds right back. Slowly, they regain their strength, throwing harder shots. Shibats’s chest turning red as King starts to hit some overhand chops as well, pulverizing his skin. Shibata stumbles back, eyes squeezed shut, after one particularly brutal slap. But he comes back, firing off with a shoot kick, landing one after another to weaken King. Shibata runs the ropes - BLACK HOLE SLAM BY BRODY! SHOULDERS DOWN!

1… 2… KICKOUT!

Shibata narrowly gets the shoulder up, doing so with seconds left. Brody wipes his face and starts to bark, riling the crowd up before placing Shibata on the bottom turnbuckle again. Wanting another shot at the cannonball senton - but nobody’s home! Brody overcommitted on that senton, and he pays big time for it! Both men are down and out again. Brody flat on his back with his eyes to the sky, and Shibata’s too dazed to stand. The referee starts to count them out, but they find a way to their feet. Another strike from King - but Shibata turns it into a Cross Armbar! It’s all the way in, but Brody scrambles to the ropes! With a foot on the cable, the submission is broken before it can do too much damage. Shibata holds it for a few extra seconds, though, and stays close even after he relents. Shibata grabs Brody’s wrist and yanks him up to his feet, non too gentle as he spins Malakai through a ripcord, connecting with a BRUTAL palm strike, that looks and sounds more like a bitch slap! But Shibata isn’t done there. He lifts Malakai on his shoulders and connects with the Go 2 Sleep! King falls to his knees, then onto his face, and he’s OUT!!

1… 2… KICKOUT!

Brody kicks out again! Shibata stares at the back of his head before lining him up, and rocking Brody with a knee strike! It helps get Brody to his feet, but he’s too dazed to even know where he is. Shibata his the ropes, looking for another big boot, when he’s LEVELED by a huge lariat from Brody King! … Or, at least, he should be! Brody put everything behind that clothesline,  but Shibata doesn’t go down! Shibata’s legs are bent, but he hangs on with everything he has, while Brody stares in disbelief! Nostrils flare, but as Brody goes to grab him, he’s WALLOPED by an open palm strike right across the face! Brody’s OUT after that vicious bitch slap, and Shibata locks him in the Sleeper! Brody’s eyes are wide as he quickly fades, legs buckling and eyes drooping. Eventually Shibata sets him down so he can run the ropes, crushing Brody with the PK! He sits Brody up one more time, hits the ropes again, and lands a second PK to finally put the big man down! Shibata covers!

1… 2… 3!

“Here is your winner, Katsuyori Shibata!”

[blueonwrestling]

Do you think there will be longevity with AEW?

With the way things are going, absolutely.

AEW was thought to get around 250k viewers weekly on dynamite, become a nice little show and that's it.

It's already on track next year to move to TBS, for 8 figures, yes EIGHT figures, it got a 2nd weekly tv show and will be getting clash of the champion type specials, a reality show based around the rhodes and more shows coming apparently, wrestling figures, t-shirts and more.

I think we all as wrestling fans worry a little bit too much about AEW, especially over the pandemic, but with full crowds, great TV ratings, big talent coming in, and young talent being featured alot, AEW is doing very well.

There is truely not an alternative to WWE, and thats what AEW is providing.

They aren't trying to be like TNA and fight WWE, they are doing what they want themselves.

Also apparently All Out got the most PPV buys from a non-wwe show in about 22 years, so we're going back to WCW for that level of drawing.

[gdwessel]

Summer Struggle in Osaka 2021 Night 1 - 7/22/2021: Ibushi Misses Today, Next Two Nights, Tokyo Dome Main Event In Doubt; Lance Archer Defeats Jon Moxley For IWGP US Title In AEW 7/21/2021; Two Matches Added to Resurgence Card, Ex-Aiden English Joining Commentary For Show

The tour resumed today, with the first night of Summer Struggle in Osaka. Earlier this week it was announced Kota Ibushi would be missing today, tomorrow and Saturday's shows, in the run-up for Wrestle Grand Slam in Tokyo Dome. NJPW states that Ibushi has been diagnosed with aspiration pneumonia, and has tested negative for COVID-19; they go on to say that this is unrelated to the COVID-19 vaccine, so that is not the reason why he has taken ill after all. Shortly before the pandemic, Ibushi had taken ill as well, although at the time it was reported he'd had a Mallory-Weiss tear in his esophagus. Basically Ibushi seems to have some bad luck with illnesses lately. NJPW further states that his status will be determined after Summer Struggle in Nagoya on Saturday, which, hope they have a credible Plan B for the main event of Wrestle Grand Slam if Ibushi is not able to wrestle that day. In the meantime, Tomoaki Honma will be filling Ibushi's spot in those matches the next few days. We wish Ibushi a good recovery from his illness.

Results:

Summer Struggle in Osaka - 7/22/2021, Osaka EDION Arena (NJPWWorld)

El Desperado, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & DOUKI [SZKG] d. Robbie Eagles, SHO & YOH [CHAOS] (Desperado > YOH, Pinche Loco, 12:20)

Hiroshi Tanahashi, Tomohiro Ishii [CHAOS] & YOSHI-HASHI [CHAOS] d. KENTA, EVIL & Yujiro Takahashi [Bullet Club] (Tanahashi > Yujiro, High Fly Flow, 12:39)

Jeff Cobb & Great O-Khan [United Empire] d. Kazuchika Okada & Hirooki Goto [CHAOS] (Cobb > Goto, Tour Of The Islands, 10:06)

Shingo Takagi & BUSHI [Los Ingobernables] d. Tomoaki Honma & Master Wato (Takagi > Wato, Pumping Bomber, 10:30)

SANADA [Los Ingobernables] DRAW Zack Sabre Jr. [SZKG] (Double Pinfall, 24:21)

Taichi [SZKG] d. Tetsuya Naito [Los Ingobernables] (Black Mephisto, 26:41)

Taichi gets a(nother) singles win over Naito, whilst SANADA and ZSJ get a rare double-pin draw result. The pair switch sparring partners tomorrow in that show's feature matches.

Cobb pins Goto, meaning even if Cobb fails to beat Okada on Sunday (likely), we could see the United Empire of O-Khan/Cobb/Henare (once he returns) challenge for the 6-man titles. It’s what I’d do. Ishii attacked both EVIL and Dick Togo once more post-match.

The IWGP US Heavyweight title has changed hands for the first time since Wrestle Kingdon 14 Night 1 on 1/4/2020, and it is back with the previous holder. Lance Archer defeated champion Jon Moxley in their rematch Texas Deathmatch in the main event of last night's special Fyter Fest 2021 edition of AEW Dynamite, after chokeslamming Mox through two tables (in a callback spot to the first match) with barbed wire boards on top of them. Mox was unable to answer a 10-count, therefore by the stipulation of the match, Archer was the winner at 13:24 (Moxley fails his 6th defense; Archer is the 8th champion). Forks were used in this match, Abdullah-stylee. It got a little bloody! This is the first time the title has changed hands in another company, despite previous title matches also held in Ring of Honor in the past. Bullet Club's Hikuleo was shown in the crowd throughout the episode, and was announced to be challenging the winner of this match next week at AEW's special Fight For The Fallen episode from Charlotte, NC. Post-main, Hikuleo climbed into the ring to stare down Archer, and let me tell you, Hikuleo has a good 3 inches on Archer, which is not an easy feat. I wouldn't read anything into Moxley losing the title as far as his involvement with NJPW at the moment, any more than you can say Jay White is jumping to Impact based on Saturday's PPV ending. He is still part of advertising for NJPW Strong, and is shown on the posters for NJPW Resurgence and the Fighting Spirit Unleashed TV tapings in August. The buzz is high for a reunion of Mox and Shota Umino, given that Shooter has returned to active wrestling now as well. If nothing else, this frees up Mox for the reunion at Resurgence. In any event, congratulations to Archer, now a 2-time holder of this title; since there aren't enough titles to go around in AEW, with both Kenny Omega and Miro having very dominant runs with their respective titles, this is a good reward for Archer. Next week's match v. Hikuleo should be interesting.

Speaking of Resurgence, NJoA has announced two additional matches to the card. LA Dojo Young Lion Alex Coughlin and graduate Karl Fredericks will open the show with a singles encounter, part of Coughlin’s Challenge Series. Then, a trios match has been booked that will see NJPW Strong regulars Fred Rosser, Rocky Romero & Wheeler Yuta (someone else who impressed on AEW TV last night) taking on TJP, Clark Connors and Ren Narita. 

NJoA also announced the addition of one Matt Morris to the commentary team for this event, joining Strong regulars Kevin Kelly and Alex Koslov. Morris used to be Aiden English in WWE. Hope this works out for him.

The Olympics officially start tomorrow... well, maybe even today by the time I post this in JST. Some events have already started. Many scandals and controversies have already cropped up. I can't even keep up anymore. By and large, the people of Tokyo, and Japan, do not want this, and it's going on anyway. There will be consequences, be it with a resurgence in COVID-19 cases, or politically, with a general election coming. Wrestling will be affected by this, rest assured, and it will most likely not be anything good. I just hope Japan gets through this in, mostly, one piece. The second night of Summer Struggle in Osaka is tomorrow, which will be live on NJPWWorld.

- 7/23/2021, Osaka EDION Arena (NJPWWorld)

Ryusuke Taguchi, Rocky Romero [CHAOS] & Hirooki Goto [CHAOS] v. Taiji Ishimori, El Phantasmo & Jado [Bullet Club]

Hiroshi Tanahashi, Tomohiro Ishii [CHAOS] & Toru Yano [CHAOS] v. KENTA, EVIL & Yujiro Takahashi [Bullet Club]

Kazuchika Okada & YOSHI-HASHI [CHAOS] v. Jeff Cobb & Great O-Khan [United Empire]

Tomoaki Honma & Master Wato v. Shingo Takagi & BUSHI [Los Ingobernables]

SANADA [Los Ingobernables] v. Taichi [SZKG]

Tetsuya Naito [Los Ingobernables] v. Zack Sabre Jr. [SZKG]

Strong Style Story Podcast Episode 76 on PWOM

[junker-town]

YouTubers vs. TikTokers boxing is the hottest sport for a new generation

Nothing has made me feel older than YouTubers vs. TikTok Stars boxing.

Remember to insert witty opening that shows I’m super cool with the kids, and not a 36-year-old man who has no idea what the hell is happening in a modern world that confronts me.

This past weekend was the most confusing sports phenomenon I’ve witnessed, and it made me feel old as hell. While us olds were paying attention to the NBA Playoffs, Euro 2020, College Baseball or UFC, millions were glued to a boxing PPV that pitted famous YouTubers against TikTok stars.

I’ve been staring at this image for 20 minutes. Sifting through the recesses of my brain to determine if I can recognize a single name on this poster. I cannot. That does not mean these people aren’t famous, because they are — it’s just a crushing reality that I am old.

Take that main event, for instance, you have a big headline fight between Austin McBroom and Bryce Hall. McBroom chronicles his family’s life events on YouTube like ... allowing strangers to decide their McDonald’s order, and cutting his toddler’s hair exactly like his. I know this because I just searched “who is Austin McBroom?” Then you have Hall, whose Wikipedia page I need a Rosetta Stone to decode what any of the hell this means.

“He is also a member of the Sway House located in Los Angeles. Hall accused Petrou of stealing money from members of the Hype House and spending money irresponsibly.”

Hall also seems like a really great human (excuse my sarcasm), who was arrested for violating Los Angeles’ restrictions on Covid and having a house party, mocking the LGBTQ community, then deleting his tweets, and being accused of assaulting a restaurant employee. The lawsuit alleges he participated in “engaging in acts of violence motivated by race, national origin, citizenship, immigration status and primary language.”

So yeah. I guess being old and not knowing these people has it’s perks sometimes.

While you or I don’t care about any of this, damn a lot of youngs really, really do

There’s an entire generation that doesn’t care or identify with actors, musicians or artists, and instead puts all their stock in social media personalities. Why? I don’t really know. Like, I watch YouTube, there are tons of people I follow. I don’t have an explicit need to watch them fight each other, but the hustle is real.

This kind of influencer media is the next step in reality TV, just further divorced from reality. Everyone is trying to find content to publish, and if you’re a purveyor of the high-energy stylized “reality” of these stars, then you’ll buy into whatever they’re selling. I mean, that video of a toddler getting his haircut has 2.6 million views. People eat this stuff up — so pretending there’s beef between two influencers and fighting creates a ton of interest, and content to go along with it.

We might never know the number of buys an event like this created, but if you logged on Twitter Saturday night you probably saw how nuts it was. For the majority of the night these fights out-trended every other sporting event they were in competition with.

Here are the results, if you care.

Austin McBroom def. Bryce Hall

AnEsonGib vs. Tayler Holder ended in majority draw

Vinnie Hacker def. Deji

DDG def. Nate Wyatt

Faze Jarvis def. Michael Le

Landon McBroom def. Ben Azelart

Ryan Johnston def. Cale Saurage

Celebrity boxing isn’t going anywhere

Logan Paul and KSI proved the concept, now everyone is jumping on board. Taking internet beef and porting it over to a real-world fight pushes tribalism to a whole new level. Instead of being fans of teams, people are being fans of influencers — and will eat up everything they participate in.

While the YouTubers and TikTokers were duking it out, former NBA star Lamar Odom was stepping in the ring with singer Aaron Carter, and beating him half to death. It was a very weird night.

The biggest question isn’t whether this works, it’s whether these kind of fights represent an existential threat to traditional combat sports. It’s not like those sports will vanish overnight, it’s about whether this new generation will ever care about fighters who aren’t social media celebrities. Perhaps many of them would never tune into other combat sports anyway, but it certainly cuts off any potential interest. Why bother following boxing or MMA intently, learning about their stars, when you can just wait for the latest YouTuber to throw on some gloves and beat up someone you already know, and watch on a regular basis.

There’s a lot of money to be made in the short term, but will that still be around when influencers move onto the next thing? That remains to be seen.

Should I start following all this?

No. Unless you already have an affinity for a YouTuber or TikToker so strong you’re invested in them enough to watch a sloppy, terrible boxing match solely because they’re in it. This really feels like a sporting phenomenon made for Gen Z, and they should be allowed to enjoy their things without olds ruining it.

People like me tuning in is the equivalent of buying a red Mazda Miata and driving it with the top down while wearing a linen shirt at the first sight of a grey hair. It’s just kinda sad.

I’m also not going to pretend this is a real, compelling, actual sport when it definitively isn’t. It’s a sloppy facsimile of actual sport, with untrained individuals playing dress up for a night. We also don’t need people my age pretending it’s just to try and get those sweet, sweet Gen Z clicks. We can accept time has passed us by, as we begin the long march towards our oblivion.

If you’re into YouTubers fighting TikTokers, enjoy it. I hope events like this bring you joy. I don’t get it, and I’m okay not getting it.

[mayweathervspaullivestream]

Logan Paul Pokes Fun At Estimates For His Floyd Mayweather Fight, But How Much Will He Make?

It’s been a long few weeks of hearing how much Logan Paul is “actually” going to make for fighting Floyd Mayweather and the numbers related to the purse have varied wildly. Of course, after one journalist online seemingly spilled the beans, Logan Paul and his Impaulsive buddies ultimately decided to open up about the estimates, rumors and how much he is really making.

Here’s the gist: It was previously rumored that Logan Paul would be making something along the lines of $200K and 2% of the PPV intake for his role in the fight. The rumor also stated Floyd Mayweather was alleged to be guaranteed $5 million with 50% of the PPV sales. If you know anything about professional boxing for a big name like Floyd Mayweather, that’s a really low guaranteed number, though total intake always varies depending on how many people buy the fight.

Compared to Floyd Mayweather’s much hyped previous fight against Conor McGregor, which reportedly garnered him a $100 million guarantee and ultimately a $300 million paycheck when all was said and done, these are low numbers overall. Of course, Logan Paul isn’t a pro boxer and so his match against an ageing Floyd Mayweather should have a different sort of entertainment value. Therefore, I guess people were believing those rumored numbers, much to what seems to be the gang’s amusement, as they joked about it extensively on the podcast before getting down to the nitty gritty.

Interestingly, Logan Paul’s buddy Mike Majlak was seemingly totally fine with spilling the beans to Logan Paul's fans. During a recent Impaulsive podcast episode he said “fuck, you aren’t gonna say it, eight figures,” to which Logan Paul definitely looked a little uncomfortable. That news came after Majlak admitted he’d mentioned the number on his Twitch, and fans who watched that have said it’s like $10 million he’s making, which would square with the eight figures number: $10,000,000. It’s unclear if true if this would be Logan’s Pauls’ guaranteed take or what they are estimating he will make based on the rate of people signing up for the PPV fight.

As for whatever the honest answer in regards to Logan Paul and what the actual purse for the match ends up being, there is one thing he is being candid about: just how flipping cool it will be to fight Floyd Mayweather. In fact, he revealed on his podcast he’d do it for free.

“As for whatever the honest answer in regards to Logan Paul and what the actual purse for the match ends up being, there is one thing he is being candid about: just how flipping cool it will be to fight Floyd Mayweather. In fact, he revealed on his podcast he’d do it for free.”

Part of the reason the rumored numbers were so believable likely ties in with what Logan Paul says above, which is that the whole thing is good press for the YouTube star. It also makes more sense that Floyd Mayweather would be making more money in the fight, given Mayweather is the bigger draw here and that Logan Paul is not a professional boxer, though he does have some experience.

Also Read: How to Watch Mayweather vs Paul Live Online

The match itself is currently going for $59.99 if you want to pre-order it, though those numbers are going to go up to $69.99 on February 11--which means more money in Floyd Mayweather and Logan Paul’s pockets. The actual fight will be on February 20th. See you there.

News Source: CinemaBlend

[danwhobrowses]

General Discussions: All Elite Wrestling (AEW)

So with All Out happening tonight (or well, tomorrow morning for me) I’m in the mood to get a lot of AEW talk off my chest. The difference between this and previous talks ‘In (Slight) Defense of AEW’s Women’s Division’ and ‘Are AEW Planning a Second Show?’ - the latter of which seems to have been confirmed - I don’t want to talk about one sole thing, I have multiple things I wanna talk about: Criticisms, Hindsight, Signing Suggestions, Predictions and whatnot. I’m also gonna split this into two at least, we’re gonna start with some critiques (positive and negative criticism) and some hindsight talk.

Critiques So AEW has been running officially since May 2019. Meaning that half of their lifespan has happened during COVID 19′s pandemic, before I go into positive and negative criticisms I’d like this point to at least commend AEW on their action and sustainability during this time; several other brands have had to sadly close or cease programming for a long time, with ROH only just returning. AEW has done a stellar job being safe as well, only one confirmed case in QT Marshall (Moxley quarantining because of Renee���s positive case), frequent tests and having small amount of fans in the arena, this is on top of the fact that Jacksonville is also a hotspot, so currently well done on that. But AEW is far from a perfect company, no company can be. However, not all criticism is fair and I wanna vent some of that. Fair Criticism towards AEW First I wanna point out that there are things even I don’t like about AEW, because I know people will paint me as an apologist, I’d also wanna preface that there are parts of WWE I like too, and parts I don’t like. On AEW’s part though I think the fairest criticism for it is that a lot of talent slip through the cracks, COVID doesn’t help of course but talent had been kept away from the main show or not getting their due; Santana and Ortiz and the Lucha Bros should be tag champions by now, Scorpio Sky would’ve been a great TNT champion, Jurassic Express despite their popularity often seem to be on the losing end of feuds, Private Party have fell into the undercard of the tag division, Joey Janela and Sonny Kiss are sadly purposeless and Lance Archer is just floating around, Nyla and Vickie’s partnership hasn’t really gone anywhere either as of yet and Abadon has been kept from the title picture. There’s also the flip-flop booking of Shawn Spears, Jake Hager, Mel, Luther, Penelope Ford, TH2 and others. While I am gonna track back on the Women’s Division complaint it would bode better for AEW if they had more storylines, and their title was better. I mean the design is fine, it just needs to be bigger. The Picture with Shida and Cody swapping belts really sells that. Belt designs have been very up and down too, the TNT title is not good, the FTW title is a bit iffy but even that is a better design. So far only ‘Big Platinum’ and the Tag Titles are original designs without complaints. Unfair Criticism towards AEW Since a lot of people compare AEW to WWE, there will be times where people will treat them as the same, and that’s not really too fair. Case in point, big one out of the way, The Women’s Division. Wanting more from the women is fair but as I detailed they are pretty handicapped right now since many of their wrestlers are overseas, but when they make moves in a positive light they’re still criticised. Thunder Rosa (fka Kobra Moon of Lucha Underground) is great and we have a much hyped match for that. The criticisms reared its head more with the Deadly Draw and the Tooth and Nail match being in the Buy In. I’ve already discussed the benefits of the Deadly Draw in a prior post so I’m gonna focus on Swole/Baker. Now on the Main Card anyway thanks to fan response, it shouldn’t have been treated like AEW pre-shows are like WWE’s, there’s a Number 1 Contendership Battle Royale on that same Buy In, Khan has been clear that he wants people invested enough to ‘Buy in to the PPV’ so it shouldn’t be treated as a disservice.

I’d also like to segue this into a WWE comparison, because whenever AEW is on you have people tracking how many women’s segments there are. So let me run down WWE for a bit

Smackdown had 3 Women’s Bits last night (4th Sept): the Tag Match that led to FINALLY the Banks/Bayley schism, a cryptic hint towards a woman returning (rumors of Eva Marie I hope are false, maybe it’s Carmella?) and a small backstage segment between Bliss and Bayley

NXT on ‘Super Tuesday Part 1′ had 1 very short match building to the Candice/Tegan feud and a package for Ripley vs Mercedes

Raw had 2 matches and 3 segments which included a Payback rematch

Payback had 2 matches, one on the Pre-Show, both of these matches would later be rematched in the following week

Summerslam had 3 matches, only one of them not a title match and one of them being rematched on the following Raw

NXT TakeOver 30 had 1 match, a title match, including the Pre-Show

For all the criticism AEW gets for having 2-3 bits on Dynamite (which is an hour less than Raw might I add and Dark hosts consistently 3 women’s bits that nobody acknowledges simply because the matches are squashes) I never see WWE criticised in that same vein, and that’s unfair, criticise both. The main difference is that AEW do not have the ‘seasoned big star’ because they’re not that old, Mickie James, Asuka, Bliss and the Four Horsewomen didn’t just get this popular overnight, they spent years honing this craft to this audience. Would it be great for AEW to have a megastar type? Sure but business is not all that easy, who do you take? Tessa’s attitude isn’t exactly positive for business, time is what they need and it’s something people are not giving. Of the other unfair criticisms the quick and easy one is the ‘AEW is TNA 2.0′ - newsflash, most wrestlers will go through the WWE machine in some shape or form, if you complain that AEW lacks female stars because nobody is well known but criticise the men’s division for using well-known ex-WWE talent then you have to see the contradiction. Moxley has been great, Jericho has been great, Brodie has been great, it’s not like AEW aren’t promoting others either. And also the ‘VP is becoming like the McMahons’ - people think that because a wrestler is a booker that they’ll only book themselves strong, but Cody let himself get squashed by Brodie, Kenny passed out to PAC and lost to Moxley, the Bucks haven’t been tag champions and Brandi hasn’t inserted herself in any title match. Just because we’re burned by WWE doesn’t mean that AEW are the same. I am all for constructive criticism with the brand because there are certainly places where it can improve, but it keeps circling around to the fact that we put WWE as the negative standard we compare AEW to, as if WWE are literally the Simpsons of Wrestling, there’s not gonna be much they haven’t done. Hindsight Talk So with the critiques out of the way now we can talk about some missed opportunities, since it kinda pairs together with that. Nearly a year and a half and AEW is still quite different to how it started, there are some things though we could still look back in regret. The easy one is doing a more thorough background check. The SpeakingOut movement affected all of wrestling and led to the departure of Jimmy Havoc, likewise it also led to the Elite cutting ties with Joey Ryan and distancing from Marty Scurll, of course until people spoke out it would’ve been impossible to know but knowing now does make parts of All In and AEW’s history come with a sense of bitterness. A further stressing of variety would’ve helped AEW, there’s a lot of criticism when people don’t understand that things are different for a reason, comedy has a place in Wrestling, we just need a reminder. The ranking system and tag rules could still be clearer. There’s also the sooner dropping of aspects like the Nightmare Family faction with Mel and Luther with Brandi, as well as some other dropped plots like Brandi’s mental break, Allie’s affiliation with the Butcher and Blade (the latter being her irl husband) as ‘the Bunny’, Christopher Daniels’ feuds with Pentagon and the Dark Order, the initial presentation of the Dark Order, not debuting Sadie Gibbs earlier and maybe pushing Intergender wrestling a bit sooner. AEW were reluctant and a Kip/Penelope vs Kenny/Riho feud was in the works to some solid appeal, but it sadly went nowhere. The Deadly Draw could’ve been longer, but I stand by the decision to put it on Youtube. I think the TNT title tournament could’ve been longer too. The bigger regrets I personally wished from AEW are that the Lucha Bros didn’t win the tag titles first, SCU are great but Lucha Bros are next level wrestlers who are monstrously talented, given Hangman and Kenny’s blockbuster match with the Lucha Bros, it’s a shame that we didn’t have a bigger feud where the Lucha Bros took their Young Bucks feud momentum to win the whole tournament. Not signing Mercedes Martinez, Deonna Purrazo or pushing a Kong vs Kong match would also be a missed opportunity too. Hindsight is of course 2020 so we can’t be too hard on AEW, as we’ll move onto in Part 2, when we’ll talk about All Out Predictions and positive hopes for AEW’s future

[reisabrisingr]

My thoughts on the Dean Ambrose situation.

I may be wrong, but this just doesn’t make sense to me. I’ve been a wrestling fan too long to believe that WWE would announce that Deans contract isn’t getting renewed.

WWE has never done this in recent years, even going back to last year when Neville walked out and left his contract to expire, we all knew yet WWE never announced it until it did.

Just last night on Raw it looked like we were going to potentially see a storyline building between Hunter and Dean. Dean has given so much to this company, up until last year Dean was the one on the main roster who had competed in the most matches.(house shows,TV and PPV’s)

Dean has done almost everything there is in WWE, except win a rumble and headline Wrestlemania. He was the first member of the shield to become a grand slam champion and the longest reigning US champion.

WWE has been booked around Ambrose,Reigns and Rollins. It’s obvious that those three guys are who the McMahon’s can call upon and are always on TV. They’ve always been sure to call on those guys and make sure that they aren’t forgotten.

There’s always been so much hype between the three shield guys. Dean is a multiple IC champion and multiple tag champ. He’s held the US title, money in the bank contract and WWE championship.

He’s a part of the most popular stable of this century, if not the entirety of the WWE.

He’s gained two lifelong friends,his brothers and his wife from this company, and when the shield was coming up they had control in what the shield was gonna do.

I just don’t see how in 7 years, Dean doesn’t have more control now than then.

We all know Dean is so intelligent when it comes to his charector.

Yeah, this recent run from October has been shitty. But how in three months could he just decide to leave? Why not just sit down and talk to Vince and explain how he’s feeling? If it was a simple character change or more character control he was wanting, do you not think Vince would do that to keep one of his top guys? Of course he would. Someone like Zack Ryder or Curt Hawkins(ily boys) I don’t think he would. But fucking Dean Ambrose? Of course he would. The guy is a top draw and part of The Shield.

Deans spoken before about how he’s glad he got out of the Indy’s because of what his Moxley charector had to go through just to be Mox and how he couldn’t do that now.

I think this is a work, especially because of what happened on Raw last night, with him getting in Hunters face and just being ruthless and not caring. Then the potential pipe bomb that was cut off by Nia Jax.

If Dean was going to throw a pipe bomb and stayed in the ring longer than he was meant to, they would’ve sent Nia out during commercial or he would’ve cut one during commercial.

WWE wouldn’t have announced him leaving so soon, espically with Wrestlemania coming up where they need their top guys to build storylines around and sell tickets. Out of WWE’s main roster, their top draws are Becky, Daniel, AJ and Charlotte. On Raw it’s Seth,Dean, Roman, Finn, Ronda and Brock.

Ronda and Brock are draws for the casual fans. The ones who just tune in because they know who they are.

There’s Roman, who unfortunately can’t be a mania this year and potentially next. He was the face of the company and will be again. I want my big dog back more than ever.

There’s Daniel who everyone loves, because how can you hate the guy? He was everyones number one for so long. Hell, the evil vegan is even starting to get over.

There’s Charlotte,Finn and AJ who people love just for their pure wrestling ability and how well they work in the ring.

There’s Becky and Seth, who rn is everyone’s favourite, they’re at the top of their games and are getting that treatment or else fans would riot.

Then there’s Dean, the guy who has fought and fought and fought for his entire life, to get to where he is. Who was hooked on drugs and lost his first chance at the WWE because of it, then he changed up his act. He shouldn’t have made it, but he did. The WWE gave him that chance and he proved everyone wrong. The fans love him.

WWE would be silly to loose him and to announce it on social media where everyone knows, espically with All Elite Wrestling just being announced. It’d be like Vince just being like,”there’s one of my top guys, go take him.” He isn’t that stupid.

I think it’s a work, I think it’s leading up to Dean bringing out more mox, where he doesn’t care who he hurts, who he insults, he’s telling the truth and he’s gonna fight for what he wants.

Like him saying to HHH,”you didn’t believe in him back in Florida when we were riding in a $500 car. You just thought he was some hot shot, but I believed in him!” Hello, why would this new Dean charector admit to believing in Seth when he’s meant to hate his guts? When he demanded a match from Hunter and when he seen hunter walking away, just to follow him threw the ropes and be like,”Do you need to ask for permission from your father in law?” Dude, that’s totally just to get a reaction from Hunter and to wind Hunter up. It’s a typical feud starter what they did.

I think this is leading up to something at Mania, I think it’s to somehow bring out more of the Dean we know Jon can create and portray. Why would he give up 8 years with a company over 3 months of a character he doesn’t like? It doesn’t make sense.

I think their plan is to get rid of this Dean that’s a germaphobe by introducing more pipe bombs, more attitude towards athourity figures and just beating the shit out of people. Cause what are they gonna do? Suspend him? Fire him? Dude will be “leaving” before mania so what’s the point?

I think they’re going with the storyline of Dean Ambrose being pissed he doesn’t get what he deserves, he’s been treated like dirt and always been a third when it comes to Seth and Roman. Vince has always believed in Roman, HHH’s first NXT baby is Seth and Hunter will always have Seth’s back. Hunter was the reason Dean lost the shield the first time around. And he never got the pay back for that. Seth and Roman have both versed HHH at Mania, why not have Dean do it as well.

They said they were bringing in a new era into WWE, what better way to do it then have it feel more real by having Dean Ambrose of all people cutting loose and being Mox? To have a hardcore match at Mania against the creator of the attitude era and the guy who we all wish could’ve been a part of it.

What if it’s just a way for WWE to slowly say goodbye to the PG era by having Hunter and a more ruthless Ambrose going one on one at Mania?

I just, i don’t think WWE would announce it so soon. Especially with a star like dean.

I could be in denial, but I won’t believe this until I see it with my own two eyes.

I don’t think Dean would show up in another wrestling company either, he’s far too loyal for that shit.

Also, adding this in because idgaf and my shield heart called for it. Do you really think he’d give up his wrestling soulmate and best friend, his brothers? They’ve got an unbreakable bond. They’ve all said when they retire from wrestling they wanna do it together in a last shield triple threat. That’s how much they care about each other, they joined the main roster together and want to leave it together.

They’re the boys who all held the wwe title on the same night,I just don’t see this bond being broken because of something as little as a charecters development.

[thesportssoundoff]

“A welterweight main event pitting a big 170-er against a 155er that actually makes sense” UFC Fight Night In London Preview

Joey

March 13th

WHEW! The UFC often is very hit or miss when it runs a show in England as evidenced by some real clunkers (the Corey Anderson vs Jimi Manuwa card) and some really damn good shows (Bisping vs Akiyama, Bisping vs Anderson) and mostly a ton of soft stuff in the middle. This journey to London is actually really deep if somewhat light on name value. Granted the idea of seeing a guy who headlined a PPV (Darren Till) vs a 10+ year veteran of the sport who happens to also be popular (Masvidal) is a solid headliner but the rest of the show is really just a bunch of damn good well put together fights. Volkan Oezdemir tries to snap a two fight losing skid vs LHW's most well rounded prospect in Dominick Reyes, Gunnar Nelson vs Leon Edwards is a FANTASTIC fight with a slight snoozer potential behind it, Nate Wood vs Teco Quinones is a fantastic bantamweight tilt and the prelims are loaded with good fights like Tom Breese vs Ian Heinisch, Dan Ige vs Danny Henry, the debut of well known prospect Mike Grundy and the return of Arnold Allen.  An early start time + a lack of superstars means you'll probably forget about this one before the weekend is through BUT I can think of worse ways to kill a Saturday morning.

Fights: 13

Debuts: Nicolae Negumereanu, Mike Grundy

Fight Changes/Injury Cancellations: 3 (Alessio Di Chirico OUT, Cezar Ferreira IN vs Tom Breese/Carlos Diego Ferreira OUT, Ian Heinisch IN vs Tom Breese/Gokhan Saki OUT, Nicolae Negumereanu IN vs Saparbek Safarov)

Headliners (fighters who have either main evented or co-main evented shows in the UFC): 6 (Darren Till, Jorge Masvidal, Gunnar Nelson, Leon Edwards, Volkan Oezdemir, Priscila Cachoeira)

Fighters On Losing Streaks in the UFC: 6 (Jorge Masvidal, John Phillips, Jack Marshmann,  Volkan Oezdemir, Marc Diakiese, Saparbek Sarafov)

Fighters On Winning Streaks in the UFC: 9 (Dan Ige, Danny Henry, Leon Edwards, Dominick Reyes, Jose Teco Quniones, Nathaniel Wood, Danny Roberts, Claudio Silva, Arnold Allen)

Main Card Record Since Jan 1st 2017 (in the UFC): 27-12

Darren Till- 4-1 Jorge Masvidal- 1-2 Gunnar Nelson- 2-1 Leon Edwards- 4-0 Volkan Oezdemir- 3-2 Dominick Reyes- 4-0 Nathaniel Wood- 2-0 Jose Quinonez- 2-0 Claudio Silva- 1-0 Danny Roberts- 3-1 Jack Marshman- 1-3 John Phillips- 0-2

Fights By Weight Class (yearly number here):

Welterweight- 3 (18) Featherweight- 3 (11) Middleweight- 2 (7) Light Heavyweight- 2 (10) Lightweight-  1 (15) Bantamweight- 1 (13) Women’s Flyweight- 1 (8)

Heavyweight- (7) Women’s Bantamweight- (2) Women’s Strawweight- (6) Flyweight- (4)

2019’s Records We Keepin Track Of:

Debuting Fighters (6-13): Nicolae Negumereanu, Mike Grundy

Short Notice Fighters (6-5): Nicolae Negumereanu, Ian Heinisch

Second Fight (18-5):  Ian Heinisch

Cage Corrosion (Fighters who have not fought within a year of the date of the fight) (5-8): Priscila Cachoeira, Jorge Masvidal, Saparbek Sarafov, Joseph Duffy, Jose Quinones

Undefeated Fighters (7-8): Nick Negumereanu, Dominick Reyes

Fighters with at least four fights in the UFC with 0 wins over competition still in the organization (4-4): Jack Marshman, Joe Duffy

Weight Class Jumpers (Fighters competing outside of the weight class of their last fight even if they’re returning BACK to their “normal weight class”) (7-5):

Twelve Precarious Ponderings

1- This main event is tricky and I'm wondering if the UFC are maybe expecting a bit too much from Darren Till. Till's 2018 was complicated; he struggled with a weight cut in a spotlight show designed to make him into a big star, beat Wonderboy in a very close fight and then made a quick-ish turnaround to fight Woodley in September, getting smelted in the process.  Till has said all of the right things, he did wind up jumping back in at welterweight (after talking about middleweight) and he's fighting a guy who you have to be REALLY special to make look bad. Masvidal is the king of the close decisions and while he's taking yet another road game fight, he's fighting a guy who is prone to lapses in activity who also is coming off his first career loss and in dominating fashion. Stylistically Till should be able to do whatever he wishes against a bloated 155er coming off a 15 month layoff but I think Masvidal is a more than live dog here. There's also a damn good chance this doesn't happen because Till whiffs on weight and comes in at like 174 and Masvidal passes.

2- So we're 100% sure that Askren vs Till is next if Darren wins, right?

3- Often times I'm reminded of an important quote in sports twitter when it comes to prospects. It has many variations but the most common prospect joke is "Learn 'em on Friday, fall in love by Saturday and ready to divorce them by Monday." MMA prospecthood is often a journey of learning, falling in love, violently falling out of love at the first sign of trouble then getting to say "I was in all along!" if it ends positively. It feels like Dom Reyes is currently somewhere between Saturday and Monday. Dominick Reyes has had rarely any trouble in his stroll through the undercurrent of 205 lbs, walking through the likes of Jared Cannonier and Jeremy Kimball before getting a big test in OSP. He pretty much dominated the fight although he couldn't leave with the finish (essentially robbed from a magnificent buzzer beater). Fans aren't judging Reyes by whether or not he can be a sizable contributor to the middle of the division, they're judging by him by whether or not he can beat Jon Jones. As such, there are some folks who think he's going to be amazing and some off the bandwagon entirely. The journey is dependent on what you seek. He gets Volkan Oezdemir in what is the next major test.

4- Why is Jack Marshman vs John Phillips on this main card? I mean I know all of these fights are on the same network and nothing matters but come on now.

5- If I told you that Claudio Silva was undefeated in the UFC spanning nearly five years now, would you even believe me?

6- Leon Edwards is one of those dudes who seems sort of stuck in no man's land at 170 lbs. He isn't a violent finisher, he's not a big talker and he's not a guy who is going to draw a ton of attention in any sort of a fixed market. As such, he's just running through a lot of guys and not getting anywhere a la Santiago Ponzinibbio minus the Ponz finishes. As such, this Nelson fight is BIG for him. Gunnar still has plenty of clout at 170 lbs and while Edwards SHOULD in theory be bigger by virtue of beating Cowboy Cerrone, that fight took place at 6 AM on Fight Pass which is pretty much like running your show on incognito mode. Gunnar is also a really odd stylistic match up for Nelson; the kind of guy he hasn't struggled with in the past but the sort of athlete he hasn't had to face in a run with dudes like Peter Sobotta and Bryan Barberena. It's a risky venture either way for two very good fighters.

7- Even though she lost in her debut, I'm not giving up on Molly McCann. She missed weight and was in her debut which are normally two tough factors to overcome. Keep an eye on her on the prelims.

8- Jose Quinones vs Nate Wood is going to be a ton of fun as Quinones is activity and accuracy over power and pacing while Wood is all pacing, incredibly active with his hands and developing even more of a ground game. This one has some spoiler-ish tendencies to it with Quinones a more than live dog in my estimation.

9- This show feels so naked without a HW fight. Like why even have a show?

10- If Saparbek Safarov can not beat a Romanian can crusher on like two weeks notice then I honestly don't know what you do with the dude.

11- Ian Heinisch vs Tom Breese is a great fight that has some snoozer potential. Heinisch cut his teeth in LFA (and the DWCTS) before upsetting Cezar Mutante in his debut and Tom Breese was a good WW prospect who has all the potential in the world at 185 lbs. Keep a real close eye on this one.

12- Are we going to FINALLY find out the elusive 5th main card fight for UFC 236?

[wrestlingisfake]

G1 Supercard preview

This is the big New Japan/Ring of Honor show at Madison Square Garden.  MSG has a special place in wrestling lore, and it’s primarily been WWE/WWF/WWWF/Capitol Wrestling turf since 1957.  The venue’s official promoter briefly dropped Capitol in 1959 (in favor of the team of Kola Kwariani, Pedro Martinez, and Jack Pfefer), but management ultimately reconciled with Vince McMahon, Sr. by December 1960.  There hasn’t been a non-WWE wrestling show in the Garden ever since...until now. 

You can watch it on traditional PPV or stream it with Fite or Honor Club, although I personally recommend streaming with NJPW World.

Jay White vs. Kazuchika Okada - This is White’s first defense of the IWGP heavyweight championship, which is essentially the New Japan world title.  Okada won the 2019 New Japan Cup tournament to earn this title shot.

Years ago Okada’s manager Gedo plucked him from obscurity and managed him on a rapid rise to the top, in which Okada quickly captured his first IWGP heavyweight championship.  Okada’s last run with the title lasted 720 days, but that ended nearly a year ago with a loss to Kenny Omega.  Gedo lost confidence in Okada and helped White betray him, starting a bitter rivalry that saw White score a massive upset over Okada in the Tokyo Dome on January 4.  That win affirmed Gedo’s decision to switch horses.  Okada had to claw his way back into title contention by winning the New Japan Cup to prove Gedo wrong.

The wrinkle in this story is that Okada was originally supposed to challenge Kenny Omega, who was supposed to still be champion at this point.  But Omega’s departure in January necessitated a couple of impromptu title changes to move White into his position.  So in a sense, White was never meant to be champion this soon, which has made his meteoric rise to the top even more sensational.  As a result, Okada has a chance to regain his title and get revenge on White and Gedo in one fell swoop.

Okada is easily one of the best wrestlers in the world today, and he knows he has to prove it to a lot of Westerners seeing him for the first time here.  White was really not anyone’s first choice to headline this show, and I think he knows he has to prove he belongs at this level.  I think they can deliver.  I’ve got a good feeling about this one.

The finish could be interesting, because if the original plan was to end a lengthy Kenny Omega title reign, that may not fit well with the goal of pushing White as a sudden success.  If Okada wins, I think that suggests they’re more committed to their original long-term plan than White’s push.  If White retains, that suggests they’ve recently altered the plan, which could lead to other surprises this year.  There’s no way to be sure which will happen, which is great since it eliminates the usual aura of inevitability that Okada brings with him.  I cannot pick a winner here.

Jay Lethal vs. Matt Taven vs. Marty Scurll - Lethal is defending the ROH world championship.  This is a ladder match, so the title belt will be hung above the ring and ladders will be set up at ringside to climb up and get it; the only way to win is to be the first competitor to retrieve the belt.

Lethal has been champion for 280 days.  Taven has been feuding with him for months, claiming to be the “real” world champion based on his belief that he should have won the June 30 four-way match where Lethal captured the title.  Meanwhile, Scurll won the Survival of the Fittest tournament on November 4 to earn the right to challenge for the title; on March 13 he declared his intention to exercise that right at this show, against the winner of Lethal vs. Taven on March 15.  However that match ended in a 60-minute draw, so Lethal is still the champion but now Taven gets to be in the match as well.

Like most big three-way matches, there’s a sense that one participant is crammed in.  Lethal is there because he’s the established champion, Scurll is there because he’s arguably ROH’s hottest star (the only member of the Elite not to leave for AEW), and Taven is there because ROH wants to push him.  They may want Taven to win this match, but they don’t want it enough to take the risk of doing the match without Lethal and Scurll, which tells you they aren’t that serious about him, which undermines his credibility.  (See also: Flair, Charlotte.)  This is not to say Taven doesn’t deserve to be there (he finally impressed me in the time-limit draw), but if ROH really believed in him they wouldn’t be hedging their bets on him.

I expect a title change, but I’m not sure which challenger will end up with the belt.  This is probably going to be very pro-Scurll crowd, and the intrigue of putting the title on a guy everyone expects to go to AEW someday would enhance would should already be a big reaction.  On the other hand, a Taven victory sets up a Taven-Scurll program for a few months, and builds toward the long-term future after Scurll inevitably leaves.  (It’s also possible the crowd will turn out to be more into Taven than anyone might have expected a month ago.)  My gut says ROH should go with Scurll while they still have him, to get him as hot as possible before he puts someone over on his way out.  But I’m not super confident about that.

Tetsuya Naito vs. Kota Ibushi - Ibushi pinned Naito on March 10 during the New Japan Cup tournament, so he’s getting a shot at Naito’s IWGP intercontinental championship.  These guys can really take it up to another gear, and this could easily be the match of the night, if not the whole Wrestlemania weekend.

Naito’s angle these days is that he has a love-hate relationship with the intercontinental title--it keeps coming back to him, even though he thinks it’s worthlesss--but he would like to become the first man to hold it simultaneously with the main heavyweght title, so he has to fight to keep it.  Ibushi, meanwhile, has finally signed a contract (dramatically choosing to stick with New Japan instead of departing for AEW), so his fans are hoping this will eliminate the “free agent” stigma that has kept him out of the booking at the top.  So while neither man necessarily needs this win, a loss would be a significant detour heading into the summer.

I would personally put Ibushi over, because a title run would mean a lot for him, and give Naito something to do (chasing Kota) besides feud with Suzuki-gun.  But I’m not so sure New Japan will go that way.  So it’s another pick-’em at the top of this card, which is pretty nice.

Zack Sabre, Jr. vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi - Sabre is defending the Revolution Pro Wrestling British heavyweight championship.  Rev Pro is a UK promotion that has a working relationship with New Japan, but this appears to be their only involvement with this show.  Tanahashi pinned Sabre to eliminate him in the New Japan Cup, and that would be enough to guarantee a New Japan title match all by itself, but in this case I think the main issue is Sabre’s wounded pride.

If I was Rev Pro, I’d want the prestige of a title change in the US, in the Garden, onto a living legend like Tanahashi.  Even better, It immediately sets up a rematch that would be a perfect main event for New Japan’s London show on August 31.  I’m just not seeing much upside to keeping the belt on Sabre right now, even though it’s at least doable.

Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa vs. PCO & Brody King vs. Jay Briscoe & Mark Briscoe vs. EVIL & SANADA - The Guerillas of Destiny, Tama and Loa, are defending the IWGP heavyweight tag team championship, and PCO and King are defending the ROH tag team championship.  This is a four-way match, so the first team to score a fall on any opposing team will win the match and both championships.

This match came about after GOD teamed with the Briscoes on February 22, and came to blows after losing the match.  The following night, GOD won the IWGP tag title from Evil/Sanada, and challenged the Briscoes (who then held the ROH tag title) to a title-for-title match.  The Briscoes accepted, but had already committed to defend their title in a match on March 15, against PCO and King, which they lost.  So then the match was billed as GOD vs. PCO/King, and then on March 25 it was officially changed to a four-way for no apparent reason.

This could get crazy.  The Briscoes and PCO/King had a wild and crazy fight last month, and they’ll be looking to top it here.  I think GOD will do their best to keep up with that level of violence.  I don’t know what to expect from Evil and  Sanada if this match breaks down, but they’re certainly not delicate flowers.  In theory you’d expect the New Japan side of things to rein in the chaos, but in practice I think it has to be a Pier 6 brawl to contrast with the more technical contests in the second half of the show.

I have absolutely no idea which of these teams can or should win, or how they’ll deal with either ROH or NJPW losing its tag belts for a few months, or when the double champions will drop one of the titles.  However, since I’m expecting Ospreay to win his double title match for New Japan, it stands to reason an ROH team would win this win this one to even it out a bit.  In that case, the Briscoes feel like the right team to bring home all the gold.

Taiji Ishimori vs. Dragon Lee vs. Bandido - Ishimori is defending the IWGP junior heavyweight championship; the first participant to score a fall on either opponent will be the champion.  There is a decent chance that the champion coming out of this match will hold the title through this year’s Best of the Super Juniors tournament, and defend the championship against the tournament winner at Dominion.

This match came about because Ishimori issued an open challenge to the ROH roster, but CMLL’s Dragon Lee was the first to respond.  Since that technically meant there was still a spot for an ROH guy, Bandido was added to the match.  So it’s basically Ishimori against two luchadors, and we’ll just have to see if it they do a good lucha thing or if Ishimori can force them into his type of match.  I’m expecting Ishimori to retain, although I suppose there’s no pressing reason they can’t do a title change.

Juice Robinson vs. Bully Ray - Bully (better known as Bubba Ray Dudley in ECW and WWE)  issued an open challenge  on March 15 for someone to face him here in a “New York City street fight,” and Juice accepted on March 31.  Juice is the IWGP United States champion, but it’s not yet clear if the title will be on the line--New Japan typically doesn’t book title matches on the fly, but it’s in character for Bully to potentially goad Juice into making it a title match at the last minute.

There was speculation when this open challenge was announced that Bully’s opponent would be Flip Gordon (the man he’s been feuding with for the past year), as a way to bring Flip back after suffering a knee injury on January 13.  Flip was expected to be cleared in time for this show, and he was, but he reinjured the knee on March 24.  Juice appears to be a last-minute replacement, which would be weird since he should have been booked all along.  (What’s the point of having a US champion who doesn’t wrestle at your biggest US show?)

In his preview of this show for the Observer, Dave Meltzer suggested this match could turn into a multi-man tag team match.  If so, I’d expect Bully to seek backup from Shane Taylor and Silas Young, while Robinson would counter with his Lifeblood stablemates Mark Haskins and Tracy Williams.  Those four men will probably get involved no matter what, seeing as there’s no rule to prevent interference.

It would be a pretty big surprise if Bully were to pin Juice and therefore be in line for the US title.  For that reason I think Juice is the clear favorite to win.  That being said, Bully needs something to do until Flip Gordon is back, and Juice is working in both promotions, so I could see this becoming a prolonged feud.

Mayu Iwatani vs. Kelly Klein - Iwatani won ROH’s Women of Honor championship from Klein on February 10, and successfully defended it in a rematch on March 15, but Klein is challenging her a second time for some reason.  I think they’re trying to make it like Klein is a big deal and Iwatani’s wins have been huge upsets, but I barely know these women so none of that is very clear.  I’m assuming Iwatani retains again, hopefully to put an end to the feud.

Rush vs. Dalton Castle - Castle has been doing a “needs to get back on track” storyline, so he was at ringside to watch the Rush-Bandido match on March 15 with the intent of challenging the winner to wrestle him here.  I’m pretty sure the purpose of this is to feed a guy to Rush while also working Castle’s flamboyant entrance onto the show, so look for Rush to go over in little more than a squash.

Will Ospreay vs. Jeff Cobb - Ospreay is the NEVER openweight champion, and Cobb is the ROH television champion; the winner will hold both titles.  This match came about after Ospreay pinned Cobb in a tag team match on February 22.  Both guys are great and I haven’t seen much of them against one another, so I’m looking forward to it.  The one big twist in this thing is that New Japan recently booked Taichi to pin Ospreay in a tag match, obviously to set up a future title match between them, which won’t make as much sense if Ospreay loses his belt before that happens.  So I think that telegraphs an Ospreay win here.  Which is fine with me, since I figured he should win to begin with.

30-man Honor Rumble - This is a pre-show match for everyone who didn’t make it onto the main card.  It’s a gauntlet battle royal, so instead of everybody starting the match at the same time, two men start and everyone else enters one-by-one in timed intervals.  The match cannot end until the last participant enters, but eliminations can occur at any time.  A participant is eliminated upon putting both feet on the floor outside the ring, if and only if they last exited the ring over the top rope.

I’ve never seen one of these in ROH, but I’ve seen New Japan’s version and it’s mainly a comedy match with spots built around guys who rarely interact being unfamiliar with one another’s shticks.  If you’re watching this to see, for example, Minoru Suzuki kicking ass in MSG (and I don’t even know if he’ll be there), you’re probably just going to get his entrance and then he scares Cheeseburger or Colt Cabana and then he’ll get eliminated inside of five minutes.  I don’t think anything is at stake for the winner to receive, and even if there was I’m not sure it would matter who wins.  I’ll just pick Jushin Thunder Liger to win, since I know he’s in it and he’s a cool old dude.

Kagetsu & Hazuki & Jenny Rose vs. Sumie Sakai & Hana Kimura & Stella Grey - This is a late addition to the card, which won’t air live but will be taped to air later.  Kagetsu and Hazuki are from a stable called Oedo Tai in STARDOM, and apparently they recently attacked Sakai and Kimura to set up this match.  The Oedo Tai team picked Rose to team with them here even though she regularly teams (teamed?) with Sakai in ROH.  Grey is apparently Sakai’s new protege so she rounds out the babyface side.  I barely follow any of this, so I think ROH could do a much better job at promoting their own women and their relationship with Stardom.  But I guess this match shows they’re at least trying.  I guess Sakai’s team wins, maybe?

[closetofanxiety]

Pro Wrestling BIZ TALK

Events are moving very quickly, and let’s try to get a handle on them:

* Elite Wrestling Club is having their first big public event TONIGHT in beautiful Jacksonville, Fla. ahead of Smackdown, which is in the same city. They’re billing it as a “rally,” which means they have some PR capital in whether or not people actually show up. 

* As of yet, we don’t know if they’ll have a TV show or a touring schedule, or whether they’ll be working with other promotions. Big Dave says NJPW initially gave AEW the brushoff, but then panicked when Ken O’Mega announced his departure, and now they want to do business with the Cody Jacksons. 

* I know how this is going to sound, but I think AEW, in order to really make a splash, needs at least one high-profile signing, and by “high profile” I mean C.M. Punk, or a rough equivalent. There’s going to be zero interest in AEW from the casuals without that kind of attraction, and limited interest even from people who keep up with WWE. I know the Cody Jacksons and Ken O’Mega are big deals inside the wrestling bubble, but drawing 11,000 people to what was billed as a once-in-a-generation supershow is not the same thing as having a year-round business model. It is not, so far, a particularly deep bench. I mean, I like SCU and Britt Baker, but is anyone out there like HOLY SHIT, FRANKIE KAZARIAN!!! I WASN’T ON BOARD BEFORE, BUT NOW I GOTTA FOLLOW AEW’S EVERY MOVE!!! 

* Ring of Honor is in a weird position! They’re three months away from their biggest show of all time, and as it stands at this moment, they are in a worse position than they were a year ago. I wonder if there are bitter recriminations about helping the Elite Boys put All In together. Ring of Honor feels like they became the number two promotion in the U.S. essentially by accident, and have no idea what to do next. The MSG show, which should be the high point of ROH history, is going to end up being a NJPW show with ROH riding along in the sidecar. 

* New Japan is also in kind of a weird position. Poised to expand internationally, they’ve just lost their biggest international stars. Jericho wants to return for a program with Tanahashi, and that would be a lot of fun, but it’s a short-term solution. Tanahashi vs. Jericho is many things, but it’s not exactly a battle of hot young stars. They seem determined to fumble the ball on Naito, who has the most breakout potential of anyone on the roster, and the Bullet Club now has all the cachet of nWo 2000. I know there are people in the wrestling bubble who think Knife Pervert Jay White is going to be an enormous Kenny Omega-level star, but - and I fully admit I struggle to get on board with New Japan - I do not see it, to put it charitably. 

* Speaking of weird positions! Impact is in a weird position. The quality of the product is the best it’s been in years, and as strange as it feels to say this, Impact has become something of a critics’ darling. They have an incredibly talented roster of exciting young wrestlers and they’ve had higher highlights, when it comes to pay-per-view quality, than any other U.S. (or, Canadian, I guess) promotion in 2018. HOWEVER, their business model seems incoherent at best: they have an OTT streaming service for 10 bucks a month that doesn’t get you access to the PPVs; they have a weekly TV show that has moved from an obscure cable channel to a cable channel that might as well be a state secret; and they’re simulcasting that weekly TV show on Twitch, which suggests they aren’t expecting to rake in the advertising dollars, to say the least. They don’t tour, and most of their roster is non-exclusive, meaning their appeal is diluted in an age when so much wrestling is available to watch over the Internet. For the first time in years, there aren’t swirling rumors of their imminent demise, but it doesn’t feel right to say they’re doing “well,” at least not financially. Like ROH, Impact could really benefit from a big creative risk or a shakeup, but it doesn’t seem like one is coming (and I don’t really have any idea what one would look like, either). 

* What about the indies? The model that developed over the course of the 2010s - Every Show Is a Supershow - is not sustainable now that WWE signed 80 percent of famous indie wrestlers to deals, with ROH scrambling to lock up anyone they can (and maybe AEW and Impact and MLW following suit). The first Americanrana I saw, back in 2015, featured, among others, Chris Hero/Kassius Ohno, Johnny Gargano, Matt Taven, Mike and & Maria Kanellis, Biff Busick/Oney Lorcan, Drew Gulak, Curt Hawkins, “Speedball” Mike Bailey, David Starr, AR Fox, Tracy Williams, Chuck Taylor, Trent, Eddie Kingston, Nick Gage, Doom Patrol, EYFBO/LAX, Kimber Lee, Heidi Lovelace/Ruby Riott, and the Young Bucks. Forget about all the people on that list who’ve signed exclusive deals since then: it’s hard to imagine an indie promoter who could afford to book that show in 2019. What’s the alternative? Beyond Wrestling is launching a weekly two-hour TV show that it promises is not, in fact, a TV show, which is both bold and confusing. I’m doubtful it’s going to accomplish what they’re hoping it will, but at least it’s something different. What’s everyone else that isn’t PWG doing? Still trying to imitate PWG? Bringing in old ECW guys and/or famous old guys from Japan, because at least Vince isn’t going to sign Great Sasuke or Onita (OR WILL HE???)? 

* This last one isn’t a biz thing, but I wanted to noted how terrible that Braun/Brock segment was last night. Hugely embarrassing! 

[frontproofmedia]

Jake Paul vs. Tyron Woodley Final Press Conference Quotes And Photos

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});

Follow @Frontproofmedia!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],p=/^http:/.test(d.location)?'http':'https';if(!d.getElementById(id))(document, 'script', 'twitter-wjs');

Published: August 27, 2021

CLEVELAND – Renowned content creator and unbeaten pro boxer Jake “The Problem Child” Paul and former UFC champion Tyron “The Chosen One” Woodley went face-to-face and continued their war of words during a heated final press conference as the two fight camps nearly came to blows Thursday before they settle their rivalry in the ring this Sunday, August 29 headlining a SHOWTIME PPV from Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland.

Thursday’s press conference also featured the fighters who will be competing on the jampacked lineup of undercard attractions. Puerto Rican star Amanda “The Real Deal” Serrano will defend her featherweight titles against super bantamweight champion Yamileth Mercado in the co-feature of the PPV telecast, which begins at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.

Former world champion Ivan Baranchyk returns to take on unbeaten Cleveland-native Montana Love in a 10-round super lightweight fight, while U.K. stars Daniel “Dynamite” Dubois and Tommy “TNT” Fury make their U.S. debuts in separate bouts, as Dubois faces Juiseppe Angelo Cusumano in a 10-round heavyweight fight, while Fury duels Anthony Taylor in a sixround showdown.

In action taking place prior to the pay-per-view, undefeated Cleveland-native and 2016 U.S. Olympian Charles Conwell squares off against unbeaten Juan Carlos Rubio in a 10-round super welterweight tilt.

Tickets starting at $25 are still available via RocketMortgageFieldHouse.com.

Here is what the press conference participants had to say Thursday:

JAKE PAUL

“When I started boxing, I didn’t think I’d be here this fast. My original goal was to fight Conor McGregor or Floyd Mayweather because I knew I would have a big enough pay-per-view draw to do those things. Now I want to become world champion. I want to fight and beat Canelo Alvarez. This has been a fast, quick roller coaster ride, but I didn’t expect to be here. I just knew I loved fighting and I knew I was good at it.

“This is an exciting time. I’m bringing it home for Cleveland. We knew that when we teamed up with SHOWTIME, that this would be a huge event. This is turning into a historic moment.

“Tyron Woodley is ‘The Chosen One’, we chose him to get his ass beat. None of his accomplishments matter on Sunday night. I’m sending him into retirement and turning him into a meme. People are going to see all of my skills. People are going to be surprised. I haven’t shown anything yet. I might come out southpaw. This is my coming-out party.

“It’s going to be another show on Sunday. I’m putting on another masterful performance and a boxing clinic. This guy is going to sleep and getting turned into another meme. Just like his friend Ben Askren. After Sunday, nobody is ever going to talk about Woodley ever again. He’s a speed bump on the road of my career.

“There’s no other fighter that’s 3-0 and taking fights against champions. I want challenges and I want to push myself. I was much more motivated in training camp because I know this is a dangerous opponent. I expect him to come out sharp and I expect this to be a fun one.

“I’m polarizing, I get it. I don’t care what people think. Most people aren’t like that. They’re scared to rub people the wrong way. Some people want to see me lose, but I’m here to stay.

“A fight against Tommy Fury makes sense. That’s a huge fight. It seems to be right in the palm of both of our hands. We do have to go out and perform on Sunday. I want to see how the U.S. crowd receives him. I want to see if he has that star power this whole entire week. He doesn’t have the big pay-per-view numbers that Tyron Woodley has or even a Ben Askren. Those guys sold tons of pay-per-views. No one has seen a Tommy Fury fight.

“There’s no real respect between us. I’m going to show that winning a UFC championship doesn’t mean anything in the world of boxing.”

TYRON WOODLEY

“I’m almost falling asleep over here listening to this guy. It’s disgusting how much of a clown people have to be to be recognized. He’s got the appearance of being about that action down, but I’m really like that.

“This is the fight game. You can say what you want to say and you can do what you think fighters do. Jake does all the things to build the fight, but we’re really here now. He’s getting hurt on Sunday.

“All the people around him have lied to him. They don’t want to lose their bag. They’re not pushing him. You can come out with that dumb robot, it doesn’t matter. You’re getting knocked out.

“I’m just really ready to fight. I don’t have any shenanigans or B.S. I should bring him some wipes to clean himself up when I knock him out on Sunday.

“He hasn’t shown me anything yet. Real recognize real. I don’t worry about what anyone on the outside is saying. I’m worried about bringing that action.

“I’m going crazy on Sunday. At the end of the day, it’s been a long time coming. I’m thankful for my team that’s supported me but I’m also thankful for everyone who counted me out. When everyone comes against you, it shows how powerful what you’re about to do is.

“I think in general with combat sports, one person does something and people want to replicate it. This is a real fight though. If you look at the way we’re built, this is a real fight. Some people took this lightly and that’s why they came up short against him. We’ve been training since before this fight was even signed.

“All camps have highs and lows. You have to fight through adversity. With me mentally, it was a lot easier when we were having fun. It was passionate and you had people watching your every move and monitoring your every step. I’m just very grateful to all my coaches. To me, this is just a lot of fun. I haven’t had fun in a long time, to be real. I loved this training camp. It was one of my most fun ever.”

AMANDA SERRANO

“I want to thank Jake for putting his faith in me and pushing to get me on this card. This is going to be two champions going at each other and leaving it all in the ring.

“These belts are my babies. It’s going to be very hard for her to beat me and take these back to Mexico. She’s going home empty-handed. I thank Mercado for taking the fight, but she’s not winning.

“I train and fight to be the best in the world. I hope that people can acknowledge that the women are champions as well and that we work as hard as the men. I’m showing everyone that women’s boxing is great too.”

YAMILETH MERCADO

“I’m coming up in weight, but I’m one of the biggest fighters at 122. I’m not worried at all about going up a division for this fight.

“I’m very well prepared and I feel strong. I’m confident that I’m going to win on Sunday and prove that I’m up to the challenge. We’re going to surprise a lot of people.”

DANIEL DUBOIS

“This is my U.S. debut, so I want to look good and win in devastating fashion. I’m a seek and destroy fighter and that’s what I’m bringing again.

“This guy is right for me and I’m ready for the fight. It’s going to be a spectacular debut and I’m going to announce my presence with a lot of power and skill.”

JUISEPPE ANGELO CUSUMANO

“We are both big power punchers and we’re exciting fighters. We like to fight and bang on the inside. There’s going to be a lot of punches thrown for as long as this lasts . That’s what we’re going to come out and do.

“It’s the heavyweight division. It only takes one punch. That’s what people love about this division. I can’t wait to get in the ring on Sunday night.”

IVAN BARANCHYK

“I’m excited to be here and fighting on this show. I learned a lot from my last fight. I put in a great training camp so that I can show my new weapons. I just need to take everything from my training camp and bring it into the ring.

“I think Jake Paul is very, very good for boxing. It’s good to have these famous guys join professional boxing because it helps the fighters. It’s good for promoting the sport. I don’t know what will happen in the fight on Sunday night. Jake Paul is young and he’s hungry. But Tyron Woodley is a tough guy. He’s a professional fighter and we will see.”

MONTANA LOVE

“A win is going to put the whole division on notice. They know I’m coming. I’ve worked with plenty of champions and been in plenty of camps. Now, everybody watching is going to see what I’m going to do.

“This fight means everything for my career. I’m introducing myself to the 140-pound division with my fight on Sunday. Beating an ex-champion will definitely put me in a whole new category.

“My city is behind me 100%. They know how I’m coming. We’re training hard and we’re excited for this. All of Jake’s fans are going to be my fans after Sunday.”

“Gervonta Davis came up to my weight. He got a title. Congratulations on that. Now, if he’s ready to keep it or not, that’s on him. But if he does keep it, we want the fight.”

TOMMY FURY

“I’m very happy to be in Cleveland and performing for everyone. Everyone is very familiar with Tyson, and they’re about to learn all about what I bring. I’m coming with my own package and my own game and you’re going to see that on Sunday night.

“If Taylor thinks I’ve overlooked him, he’s dead wrong. I’ve been grueling for eight weeks like I’m fighting for the world titles. Sunday night, I’ll get the job done, and then I can think about what could be next for me.

“Anthony Taylor can’t get off his phone and stop doing autographs. I haven’t been on my phone in five weeks. I’ve been living and training like a demon. I don’t care about fame, and I don’t care about money. All I want is to be a world champion.”

ANTHONY TAYLOR

“I know he’s overlooking me. Tommy is here just to face off with Jake Paul. But I’m here to fight. Don’t look down on me. Just because he beat up six bums, doesn’t mean he’s going to beat me up.

“He’s not going to stop me. He’s fought nobody. I’m not that guy you’re just going to run through. We’re not cut from the same cloth, and he’s not the same as his brother. He’s not ready for me.”

CHARLES CONWELL

“It’s amazing to fight back at home in my city. I’ve had a lot of local support back here throughout the years and there are a lot of people here who haven’t been able to see me fight.

“To have all the support I’ve gotten leading up to fight, I’m just more ready than ever to put on a show and let everyone know what I’m about.”

JUAN CARLOS RUBIO

“It’s true that I haven’t fought anyone on Charles’ level, but I feel strong, I’m well prepared and I’m ready to give a show to the people of Cleveland.

“We’re going to see if he’s ready for the next level of competition. We won’t know until we step in the ring. But I’m definitely going to give it my all and give him a test.”

STEPHEN ESPINOZA, President, Sports & Event Programming, Showtime Networks Inc.

“SHOWTIME has been in boxing a long time. We have a long history in the sport. But the thing about boxing is that it always has a way of surprising you. Just when you think you’ve seen it all, along comes someone like Jake Paul to upset the apple cart. I’m excited to see the sport innovate, change and evolve.

“I’m very proud of this card. We have some of the best fighters in the world on this card, from world champions to up-and-coming fighters and promising prospects. This card has a bit of everything.

“This card is filled with fighters who didn’t listen when they were told no. No one on this card has been handed anything. They’ve all beaten the odds. I’m proud to have every one of them on this card.

“The great thing about boxing is that on some level, nothing matters until you get into the ring. To borrow a phrase, ‘boxing don’t lie. Boxing is the ultimate truth-teller. When Sunday night rolls around, your resume and your following don’t matter. For all the hype and hoopla, make no mistake, these are fights. The purest form of competition. The great thing about boxing is, when two competitors enter that ring, each fighter gets a chance to rewrite their own history. It all comes down to that moment of truth on Sunday night.”

(Featured Photo: Amanda Westcott/Showtime)

[balorclubrps]

ferg n cathy 😉

Who would win tickle wars?

It’s such a toss up… Fergal isn’t as ticklish as Cathy, so 8/10 times, he’s the one winning, but occasionally she’ll get the drop on him and he’s in stitches.

Who would draw pictures of the other in their sketchbook?

Fergal draws a bit from time to time, he’s not the best artist, so it’d be cartoon like doodles of them at best.

Who would holds hands while walking?

They both love to hold hands! it’s a small form of intimacy they share when out in public since they aren’t a huge PDA couple.

Who would gives cheek kisses?

They both do! Cathy gives them more than Fergal, especially if she manages to make it to Raw or a PPV. Fergal is more likely to give them when Cathy comes home from work or if he’s come home from a trip away.

Who would start a snowball fight?

Fergal! He’s an absolute child when it comes to the snow, and would be dragging Cathy out in it, only to dump snow on her when she least expected. She’d end up having the last laugh though.

Who would slip the most on a date to go ice skating?

Fergal. He’d accidently lean too much on Cathy and they’d both go down.

Who would bring lunch to work for the other?

They both love to do this when they know they’ll be getting to see one another. Though Fergal isn’t big on surprises himself, he’s just happy to see Cathy, and her bringing food is usually his reminder he hasn’t eaten that day. Fergal brings Cathy food or coffee if she’s covering a PPV because he knows she’s been up late and super focused on her work and not food.

Who would want cuddle at the movie theater date?

Both; If it was a movie theater with couches instead of seats, they’d be all wrapped around each other. If it’s got actual seats, Cathy’s usually got her arm wrapped around Fergal’s, or has stretched her legs out across his lap.

Who would buy cheezy cliche gifts for each other on holidays?

Both! Again! No surprise. Bonus points if they got each other the same damn thing.

Who would start an argument about what color curtains they should have at home?

I don’t see this being an argument, honestly. Fergal isn’t picky and is very go with the flow, so he’d just agree with Cathy’s choices.

Who would remember their anniversary?

They both do! Fergal isn’t much for people surprising him, but he’d make a point to surprise Cathy (cue flowers and cooking for her!!)

Who would blurt out how much they love the other in front of people?

Cathy!

Who would offer to wash the others back in the shower?

They’re all about that team effort.

Who would have the others picture as their phone background?

They both do!

Who would take pictures of the other while they’re sleeping?

Cathy is probably more inclined.

Who says I love you?

They both do, all the time :)

[whatifitscool]

PPV Impressions – AEW Full Gear 2020

By  Timmy Daytona

Despite the continuing pandemic, All Elite Wrestling has achieved a level of consistency that competitors in the wrestling industry have struggled to match. In their final PPV event of the year – Full Gear – it featured a sizeable card featuring some possibly exciting match-ups. Did it help them go out with a bang?

World Title Eliminator Tournament Final: Kenny Omega vs Hangman Adam Page

Prior to the match starting, it’s worth noting that Omega’s entrances have gotten longer since his and Hangman’s tag team championship loss at the hands of FTR. His introduction to his ring entrance included these digs at Hangman:

“He has headlined more PPVs, scored more AEW singles wins, has a better AEW winning percentage and has 8 more years’ experience than Hangman Page.”

Kenny’s interviews before the tournament presented a version of himself that is laser-focused on returning to singles glory. To demonstrate this intent, see his squash of Sonny Kiss. All business, his attempts at sportsmanship after the match looked insincere and the flashes of arrogance on the way to the final may be teasing a heel turn at some stage.

Since their days in NJPW, the Elite have enjoyed success in their storylines of friendships disintegrating and they have not disappointed when incorporating that drama into their matches. Omega and Page’s tag team match against The Young Bucks at Revolution is still the top-rated match of 2020. Their chemistry shines whenever they face one another.

That chemistry was evident in this match which felt realistic in its depiction of a competitive match-up of two former partners who know each other’s arsenals so well. It was hard-hitting, they countered each other repeatedly throughout but towards the end, Page missed a Buckshot Lariat and was hit with two V-Triggers and a One-Winged Angel before succumbing to the 3-count. This was perhaps Page’s best singles performance in AEW’s young history. The man can go and because we haven’t seen the two former partners really explode since Page betrayed the Bucks and was kicked out of the Elite, there is a sense that there could be more confrontations down the road.

The camera lingered on Page’s lost and dazed expression following his defeat. Omega barely acknowledged him and did not wait for Page at the end of the match. And Page appeared later, watching from a distance following the Bucks’ match. These subtle but significant developments are as exciting as the matches themselves.

Orange Cassidy vs John “4” Silver

In the second match of the night, Orange Cassidy and John “4” Silver would settle their short feud. As number 4 in The Dark Order, you’d think that he’d just be a generic villain but it’s great that AEW remain committed to giving opportunities to wrestlers – who aren’t main draws – their moments to shine. Silver definitely did shine – the man is a beast. The way he manhandled Cassidy, unleashed those roundhouse kicks and how he powered out of a swinging DDT, Silver showed potential that he is quickly becoming a threat. Also, how great was it that he ripped out Cassidy’s pockets and put them in his mouth? His loss to Cassidy was never in question but AEW consistently teases that unexpected wins could happen at any time. The presentation of the product is that it is a place of elite wrestlers so hypothetically, anyone could win (see Private Party’s elimination of the Young Bucks).

 TNT Championship Match: Cody Rhodes (C) vs Darby Allin

Darby Allin and Cody Rhodes battled for the TNT title and the honour of being the face of TNT. Including the latter brought even more focus on AEW’s intent to elevate the TNT title to a level of importance. The package for this match was brilliant. Cody exaggerated his “victories” over Allin, casting doubt on whether Allin could be the face of TNT. They tried to sell that Darby’s unconventional appearance is not suitable to be that face while Cody came across as someone believing too much in his own hype. He stated Darby could be the face of TNT but the silent shake of his head at the end of that sentence negated that sentiment. Awesome.

Cody hadn’t handily defeated Darby twice. So it was fitting for the championship to go to Allin. He’s the first wrestler to be portrayed as confounding Cody. Cody’s overconfidence and showboating tendencies were on full display. During his first run with the title, he was once the babyface but in a reversal of roles and in particular on this night, he had become the bully in an almost David vs Goliath encounter.

Some complaints were that Darby was shown to be too resilient and while he took a beating, he got a lot of his trademark offence in throughout the match. It was a great touch on Cody’s part to drop to a knee to present the title to Darby and later put it on his shoulder.

Whatever comes next, it is great that Cody went out on a high note and his hold on the TNT title is over. It will be exciting to see what comes next during Darby’s reign for AEW’s strong and diverse mid-card.

AEW Women’s Championship: Hikaru Shida (C) vs Nyla Rose

Nyla Rose and Hikaru Shida’s last championship meeting was a decent outing. There were reasonable expectations that they could deliver a solid match in this next instalment in their feud. The result was solid, if unspectacular. There was the avalanche Falcon Arrow but it didn’t pop as much as the sight of Shida V-Triggering Nyla into a casino chip back at Double or Nothing. Also, Nyla’s “claw” to the knee looked silly and unbelievable. This could be wrong but Nyla’s diving knee drop onto the back of Shida’s knee looked like it actually connected. Was this a botch? In a more obvious botch, Vickie Guerrero was seen visibly failing to catch Shida’s foot in her attempt to trip her up. The ending sequence also looked like both competitors were gassed. And were the cameras meant to show Nyla asking Vickie to slap her? Let’s hope this feud is over as the overall performances when these two meet are mixed.

AEW World Tag-Team Championship: FTR (C) vs The Young Bucks (Stipulation: If Bucks lose, they can never challenge for the tag team championship again)

With the stipulation in place, the result of this match was telegraphed well in advance. There was no doubt that the Bucks would walk away with the titles. Cody had already fallen on his own sword with his stipulation for the World Championship so AEW and The Elite couldn’t afford to put themselves in a similar situation for the Young Bucks. How could they demonstrate they are The Elite if most of them are ineligible to challenge for titles?

Though the result was predictable, arriving there was very fun to watch. In a love letter to tag team wrestling, both FTR and the Young Bucks brought out finishers from tag teams that have likely influenced both. Seeing FTR use Meeting in the Middle to the Bucks performing the Hardy Boyz Twist of Fate – Swanton Bomb finisher was just a sample of the awesomeness on display. Despite their high-flying tendencies, it was a simple Superkick from Matt’s injured leg that ended it. Fitting because that was the leg FTR attacked prior to the PPV but you knew it was going to factor some way into the match’s finish.

While the Young Bucks have looked better in other matches, they certainly put over FTR who looked great. Let’s see what happens next for FTR – some sites have suggested they could form a new iteration of the Four Horsemen stable but they will likely be challenging for the tag team titles again in the near future.

Elite Deletion – Matt Hardy vs Sammy Guevara

With good reason, many were probably worried as to what could happen in this match. From Hardy getting hit by the wrong prop chair to the near-tragedy suffered at All Out.

In this COVID-era, cinematic matches remain a viable alternative to a live match and with the seemingly cursed combination of Sammy Guevara and Matt Hardy, this pre-recorded match in a controlled environment was possibly the safest option to see them conclude their feud.

Some of it was genuinely fun to see. Sammy’s golf cart was crushed by Hardy’s monster truck. Sammy performed a moonsault off the top of one of the monster truck’s wheels. Fireworks were used. Calling on his past, Gangrel appeared in support of Sammy while the Hurricane appeared in support of Hardy. The Lake of Reincarnation allowed Helms to transform twice. A small touch that was nice to see was Sammy’s creative counter out of a Twist of Fate. It was mostly the level of bonkers befitting a Matt Hardy match.

Entertaining goofs included seeing the cameraman’s shadow as Sammy drove up the driveway, the skull on the Staff of Mephistopheles flew off when Matt swung it and the fireworks disrupted the audio feed preventing Matt’s voice from being recorded. If there were minor criticisms, the commentary fell flat in spots.

In terms of major criticisms of the match, there was the near replication of Matt and Sammy crashing through a table, instead busting Sammy’s head open in a reversal of their roles from All Out. Sammy then staggered trying to get to his feet, appearing punch-drunk. Up to this point, all that could be said is that Matt has always drawn on stories or situations from his personal life. The breakdown of his and Lita’s relationship and her cheating on him with Edge became a feud in WWE. So it stood to reason that he would draw on his history with Sammy including the dangerous botch at All Out.

But then it ended with a Con-Chair-To to Sammy’s head on the floor. While some could accept them recreating the All Out botch, this ending was likely what turned most people off. It was a horror movie ending that was so shocking that it really took viewers away from this cinematic match. It was so brutal, verging on snuff and it’s a wonder they chose to end it on this note.

While these attacks or finishers have been seen on other wrestling shows or in films like The Raid, it shouldn’t have to be part of AEW simply to elicit shock. And then it ended with fireworks and a shower of Alize. Talk about tonally jarring.

Le Champion Chris Jericho vs MJF (if MJF wins, he joins the Inner Circle)

After seeing the end of the Elite Deletion, a traditional match was a good call to move on to and Le Champion and MJF had a decent outing. Jericho received a hero’s welcome during his entrance, smiling while the crowd sang Judas acapella. It was so great seeing Jericho utilise the camera to flip off MJF. It was even better seeing the Jericho of old hit the Lionsault before yelling “come on, baby!” He even brought out the Frankensteiner. But in a battle of the heels, Jericho would be outdone in this capacity. MJF’s influences have seen him look like the dirtiest player in the game but he definitely called on Eddie Guerrero when he played dead towards the end ,before rolling up Jericho for the 3-count. Simple but effective storytelling. This match served its purpose and it will be fun to see how it all blows up. Please let there be a big hoss fight between Wardlow and Hager.

Or have Jericho reveal to MJF and Wardlow that while they’re part of the Inner Circle, there’s an Innermost Circle within it that they aren’t a part of.

I Quit Match for the AEW World Championship: Jon Moxley (C) vs Eddie Kingston

“You’re gonna have to kill me! You better get ready to kill me! You better get ready! This is real! This is real!”

Eddie Kingston is still one of the best signings for AEW. He isn’t a ring technician but he’s as venomous as a freestyle rapper on the mic and harder hitting in the ring.

With that promo in particular, Eddie Kingston was at his most captivating. The barely contained rage as he said those words with Moxley behind him likely had many on the edges of their seats. Kingston sounds like he is one of the hardest bastards in the sport.

This was a stiff-looking match with plenty of the clubbing blows that Kingston makes look real. It had the violence that Moxley has loved to put on display since leaving WWE. They were both on the receiving end of attacks using barbwire. Schiavone even asked, “What the hell are we watching?”

This was not athletic or as protracted as the Lights Out Unsanctioned Match Moxley had against Omega at Full Gear last year. It certainly had less plunder. But this looked just as painful. The rubbing alcohol poured over the wounds Moxley incurred on the thumbtacks would have had many wincing, as if they felt the pain themselves.

You’ve also got to love Kingston’s defiance. Casually flipping Moxley off, he then had to endure being choked with barbwire before quitting. The measure of respect Moxley had at the end for Kingston was also believable. These two put on a brutal showing and tore the house down in a style that suited them both.

Did Moxley just tease Blood and Guts at the end?

It could be argued that this is the strongest main event Moxley’s had since Full Gear 2019. While his title match at Revolution was fun when he revealed that he wasn’t blind in one eye, his chemistry with Kingston and their physicality should be applauded. They seem convincing as brawlers and this was a great brawl.

Conclusion

This was yet another strong PPV card for AEW. While nothing screamed instant classic or was anywhere near the fun of Stadium Stampede, it’s the long-form storytelling that is the key strength to AEW’s dominance in professional wrestling. The seeds laid out for feuds-in-progress or setting things up for the future are as tantalising as the matches on display.

In terms of what they had, the opening bout, the tag team championship and the main event were easily the strongest matches on the card with Cody vs Darby III being the next best. Despite a weak Women’s World Championship match, everything else that could have been seen as filler either progressed or ended storylines appropriately.

AEW ends their 2020 PPV run on a high note. But the year isn’t over yet. As they’ve said in recent weeks, “Winter is coming”. Can’t wait to see what they do to close out the year.

[thesportssoundoff]

So the number for the UFC PPV prelims aren’t bad by any stretch (893K viewers would be totally great on FS1, not so much here) but I do think it reconfirms that the level of interest in guys like Dustin Poirier (who is a notoriously bad draw for some reason) and Israel Adesanya (same) is lower than fight fans might think.