#Best WWE moves 2022

[nanohuge]

WWE BEST MOMENTS & MOVES 2022|| WWE ROYAL RUMBLE 2022|| WWE SMACKDOWN MOMENTS 2022

#wwe #royalrumble2022 #wwemoments2022 #wwemoves2022 #wwebestfightscene2022 #nanohuge #wwefight #wwescene #wwemoves

[architect-2015]

Lo’u alofa, you are my family.

(there might be some rambling because I tried to copy the segment word for word because I didn't want to mess up the storyline)

Kailani and Roman have been together for years, having met in NXT and been brought up to the main roster around the same time she’s been there for it all.  As both a wrestler and his wife she respects what he's had to over come in both his personal life and his professional career. The downfall of The Shield, the failed babyface push, his real-life health issues and then his return in remission. 

While they both have had struggles during their time on the main roster, the wait was definitely worth it, the married couple are currently part of the most dominant faction in the modern era, The Bloodline. 

Since September 2022 things have been expanding within the group, Sami Zayn had previously been associating himself within the family had finally earned a position in the faction as the ‘Honorary Uce’.  On November 26th he further proved his loyalty in a Survivor Series War Games match against The Brawling Brutes, Drew Mcintyre and Kevin Owens, but Owens would continue to be a thorn in the side of The Bloodline.

---

RAW AFTER WARGAMES

“On Saturday we went to war at Wargames right, you see who was left standing tall” The members of The Bloodline raises the ones with the crowd reflecting the action, a sea of acknowledgment swept over the Scope Arena.

The segment continued with Sami expressing his gratitude toward Jimmy for being his friend since day one, then he moves onto Jey a sentimental moment was shared between the two before the Prize-fighter decided to interfere.

“I’m not here to fight you Sami, its actually quite the opposite. You see since Saturday I - uh I cant help but think about how for twenty years now, twenty years ouR careers have been linked to one another’s but - uh man after Saturday I don't wanna fight you, I don't wanna team with you, I don't wanna ride to shows together, I'm just done I don't want anything to do with you.” 

A taken back look overwhelms Sami's face but it settled to a look of disgust.

“You know what pal I feel exactly the same way, I don't ever wanna team with you again, I don't wanna fight you again I'm okay if I'm never in the same room as you again do you understand me? because I don't need you anymore! I have family now.”

Pride swells in Kailani's chest as she moves to place a hand on Sami’s shoulder, the two of them had grown quite close some could even say become best friends. She was proud in the fact he let go, he let go of all the people in his past who had held him back. Kevin being the last piece of baggage.

But KO still wasn't done, he had more harsh realities to expose, had he only thought before he spoke and realised the weight of his words. 

“Yeah you know what I'm genuinely happy for you with everything that's been going on for you the past few months because finally everybody out here, everybody in the WWE universe can finally see how great Sami Zayn is. I’ve known it for twenty years and to see you get the recognition you deserve. I love it but Sami here's the thing, doesn't matter how many times they tell you you're in The Bloodline and it doesn't matter how many time you call them family just remember this... You’re not their real blood and you never will be”

Lani loosens her grip on her friends shoulder, taking a step back she feels her back collide with the chest of her husband’s cousin, Jimmy Uso. Looking back towards the man she is met by a looks of concern his hands envelop her waist seemingly keeping her upright, the family knowing how she values herself lower then them because she is an Anoa’i by love not blood. No longer wanting to be in the ring and needing to create space from the overbearing tension she shakes off the hold and swiftly slides under the bottom rope letting her red shoes hit the floor. 

Choosing to make her exit by the crowd to prevent passing a certain Canadian blocking the gorilla entrance, feeling thousands of eyes follow her every move Kailani is stumbling around grabbing onto anything she can as support knowing that she's showing a vulnerability. A weakness. The Bloodline aren't weak, but Lani is. 

---

What she doesn't know is that an enraged Tribal Chief is barrelling through the backstage area, old wounds in his family that had just been fixed has been re opened all because of ten words. 

You’re not their real blood and you never will be.

You’re not their real blood and you never will be.

You’re not their real blood and you never will be.

You’re not their real blood and you never will be.

You’re not their real blood and you never will be.

Those ten word had broke the illusion of Kailani Anoa’i, the wife of the tribal chief Roman Reigns, the leader of the bloodline, Joe Anoa’i, the love of her life, the provider of the family. 

Her family.

---

Blindly walking around backstage trying to compose herself she hears a voice shout something incoherent, two gentle hands hold her shaking ones in theirs stroking over her wedding ring, the wedding ring that matches with the one adorning the hands grasping hers.

Looking up the eyes of her husband stare down at her, distress swirling behind the eyes she fell in love with, a sob ripped through the silence all the buried emotions finally overflow, the insecurities harboured by the young women being displayed to her spouse. Roman carefully took Lani into his chest placing his hand on the back of her head knowing that this action makes her feel safe, he begins muttering words of comfort and reassurance.

 “o lo'u toalua lelei (my sweet wife), what's wrong. Why are you crying? Is it what Kevin said?”

Not being able to string a response she simply nods her head, focusing on the breathing of the man embracing her. 

breathe in, breathe out.

“ Lo’u alofa, you are my family. How my life would be without you, I couldn't bear it. Our love runs through my blood, my mind and my soul.”

After hearing those words Kailani lifts her head from Romans chest to meet his gaze, the same gaze that holds so much warmth and passion. Reaching up she clasps her hands around his neck pulling his forehead down to meet hers. A delicate kiss is placed upon her lips. Relishing in the moment she realises he was right, while she might not be an Anoa’i by blood relation she still had a rightful part in the family.

----

The power of love is undeniably true, it can unite two hearts as one, its for this reason that bloodlines are built on unbreakable bonds created by love, and while blood is thicker than water without love coursing through it would be meaningless.

----

(i dont think this was that good tbh but oh well)

@strawberry-moonpies​

[thesupreme316]

Is the Grass Greener on the Other Side? EP.5

Summary: 1 month after her infamous “pipebomb”, how does Y/N feel when it feels like nothing has changed in her world? What will she do next?

Word Count: 2.6K

Warnings: Quick mentions of anxiety and depression-like symptoms (loneliness), kind of proofread (my bad)

Notes: sorry for being late but better late than never

Links to other parts: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4

“How could she do that?”

“I mean if you went through what she went through you would do the same”

“Good riddance Y/N!”

“Please go to AEW, they need you!!”

“tbh, that was one of my favorite pipebombs ever”

“I wish her the best and hopefully she’ll come back with Sasha and Naomi”

“She should have done it differently”

“Without WWE, where is she gonna go?”

It’s been 1 month. (August 2nd, 2022)

1 month full of tweets, posts, and people just interjecting their opinions. But also 1 month of your silence. You didn’t issue any statements, no comments, no interviews. After a bold move like that, you thought you would feel better. And in some ways you did, you feel like you removed the foot that was crushing your throat; like you got rid of the poisonous thing that has been draining your life.

You felt free.

But amid that freedom was there this excruciating silence that took up your mind where you’re second-guessing everything. Now, you just wanted to be left alone with your thoughts of what to do next.

WWE removed you from all programming, posters, and promotions. They put you on blast, as they did with Mercedes and Trinity, before dropping you as a subject altogether. It’s like you didn’t exist. Liv is still the champion, but it’s only a matter of time until Ronda gets it back. No one from WWE reached out; except for Bianca, Zelina, and Liv. And you sent Liv an apology bouquet for dragging her into the situation. Christian only reached out to tell you what a mistake you were making and how you should apologize (and also how this potentially might ruin his career).

You haven’t really talked to Mercedes or Trinity as they were extremely busy in the last few months with bookings. They were off doing signings, in tv shows, and being in fashion shows (you were the first person to know that they would be in New York Fashion Week). All while you were sitting in your apartment, just trying to figure yourself out.

Daniel, Paige, and Hook all check in on you at least once a day. With Daniel and Hook living so close, they often come by to chill with you (separately of course). Paige constantly facetimed you, so in a way you didn’t feel totally alone. And today was nothing different.

“Tyler, no I can’t just magically pop up at the strip club.” You said on the phone while looking through your fridge for something to cook.

“All I’m saying is that it’s a great way to reappear in the public’s eye,” Tyler said while snickering.

You grabbed your leftovers. “And this not because you would like to go to the strip club?” You paused. “Again?”

“Noo….anyways, how are you feeling today?” He asked, changing the subject

“Better than yesterday. I feel exhausted. And I’ve spent a month doing absolutely nothing.” You groaned as you put the leftovers in the microwave. “I just want to get up and do things but I don’t know what to do or where to start.”

“Y/N, you have to take everything one step at a time. Everyone moves at different paces, you can’t rush a process that you’re not completely ready for.” Tyler calmly explained as you sat on the couch, pondering his words. “Don’t feel like you need to make a big decision now. You need to evaluate all options before making a move. And just know that you will always have people that will support you, me included.”

“That was very sweet Tyler.”

“I can be a sweet guy, sometimes.” He said making the both of you laugh. “So, how’s your lover boy? You don’t talk about him much.”

You sighed before getting up and slightly pacing around the room, “There’s nothing to talk about, we haven’t talked much these days. He’s busy doing his thing.”

“So why are you still with him?”

You stopped in your tracks before answering, “Because I love him.”

“That may be true, but are you still in love with him?”

At that moment, it felt like your world came to a stop, like when Daniel asked if you could see yourself with someone else besides Christian. It was another loaded question, yet a big question that you had to figure out the answer to sooner or later. You truly do love Christian, after all, you two have shared a lot of memories. A lot of moments where he was the sole reason for your smile, how you got butterflies in your stomach when he texted you, or how you saw your life later on with him. But now? You were tired of being cast aside by him, tired of being treated as if everything you do is wrong. You were tired of how exhausting fights were with him and how he jealous he got of others in your life. Do you feel the same way now? Do those memories and moments outweigh what has been happening recently?

You became deep in thought before being pulled out by a knocking at the door and Tyler’s voice growing louder. “Y/N? Y/N, hello?” Your head snapped back to reality (oops there goes gravity-sorry).

“Hey, sorry Tyler. I’mma have to call you later, someone’s at my door.”

He sighed but understood. “Okay, but just remember if anything happens or if you need someone, my bed always has a place for you.”

You giggled before hanging up and answering the door, to the sight of Daniel. You briefly hugged before letting him in and going to get your hot leftovers from the microwave. “Why are you here? I thought you were training today.”

“Yeah, but I haven’t heard from you.”

“Danny, I’m fine. You can go to your training session.”

“No can do, I cancelled it.”

You put down your fork, looking at the man who was now occupying your couch. “You mean to tell me that just because you didn’t hear from me, you dropped everything to check on me?”


“Hell yeah. I just wanted to make sure that you were okay and safe. I needed to lay eyes on you.” He said getting up and walking towards you. Your heart swelled at his words. You were blessed that someone saw you that important in their life. “I just need you to call like once a day to know that you’re okay.” He said grabbing another fork and taking a bite of your leftovers. “You always make the best stirfry.”

“Danny, what should I do?”

“About the entire situation?” He raised his eyebrows. You nodded as he sighed. “To be honest Y/N, in my opinion, you need a clean slate. Then you can build whatever your heart desires. But the thing is that you already caused drama at WWE, to the point where if you go back something is sure to pop off again. You don’t need that and you damn sure don’t deserve that.”

“To be honest, I don’t know what I deserve at this point.”

Daniel sighed before grabbing your hands and staring into your eyes. “Y/N, you are an incredible woman and you deserve all the fine things in life. And if you don’t see that, you are dumb as hell.” He said making you laugh. “Anyways, what were you doing before I got here?”

“I was just on the phone with-“ And you cut yourself off, trying your best not to finish the sentence (for fear of making Daniel upset). 
“Hook?” You shyly nodded as you avoided eye contact. “I don’t care if you guys talk.”

“You hate him.”

“I hate his stupid perfect hair. And the way he does his suplexes. And the way that he just gets everything he wants.” He said slowly letting go of your hands. He cleared his throat as you side-eyed him. “But yeah he’s a cool dude.”You rolled your eyes as he started to rant about work, you grabbed your phone. Your eyes started to scroll around before they widened on one particular text from an unexpected person. You started to drown him a bit as you kept in the text. “Y/N, are you okay?”

You blinked with a blank stare on your face. You slowly nodded and just said, “I have a meeting tomorrow apparently.”

“With who?”

“I don’t even wanna discuss it.” And you threw your phone across the room and placed your head under a pillow.

(August 3rd, 2022)

You woke up nervous as hell.

You didn’t know what to expect from this meeting. Will this make things worse or better for both of us?

You put on a semi-business outfit with nice shades, you did your makeup and hair very quickly. You grabbed your purse before passing Daniel (who was knocked out on the couch after all had drinks and game night) and left to rush to your meeting. You couldn’t decide if it was a blessing or a curse that your meeting was close to your apartment; you couldn’t shake your feelings as your anxiety grew to be pounding in your ears, making you almost hyperventilate. As you approached the building, you took a deep breath before walking into the plaza. You made talked to the receptionist before getting the clear to go upstairs.

You took the elevator and got out at your stop. Walking straight ahead to the doomed door. You took another deep breath before putting on a fake smile and knocking on the door. You heard a grumbled and muffled come in.

You opened the door to see the person with a smile behind a stack of papers. “You know Hunter, I never thought I would see you like this.”

“Y/N, I told you numerous times to call me Paul.”

“Hunter just rolls better.” You shook his hand as you two sat at the wooden coffee table.

Before the whole situation, Paul (Triple H) has also been one of your mentors when dealing with the wrestling business. You credit him with a lot of business moves and how your character was booked. Before your walkout, you two would talk every week (sometimes even multiple times a week). Now, this was the first time you were communicating before in a little over a month.

“I’ll get right to it. Neither Vince nor John are here, so you can be as open and honest with me as you want. Whatever is stated here will remain between the two of us.” Paul said. You nodded but you didn’t want to start right away, instead, you were trying to organize your thoughts. What could you tell him? That you were mad that things were being unfair and no one else saw that but you? That you couldn’t stand being in this company anymore as days go on. “I’ll start if you want.” He said, you nodded again.

He sighed as he tried to find the words to say. “Y/N, I’m incredibly sorry for not speaking up in the past for you. I knew of the plans and voiced my displeasure about them when Vince wanted to give the title to Ronda. I’ve tried telling them that there needs to be more substance within the women’s division and constantly giving Ronda a title is not the way to go about it, no matter how well I get along with her. But I know, what you said and done is not just based on Ronda and how Vince operates with her. It’s something much deeper”

You sighed as you started agreeing with him, “That was literally what I was trying to talk about. The women’s division needs more attention, storylines, and substance. We have women who have been with the company for several years who have been put on the back burner, women who have not been allowed to showcase their talent or improve in the ring and then get ridiculed for it, and we have the same people showing up with all the time with the same storylines with the same opponents. Or even worse, we get the short end of the stick and get our times cut when shit does over the time limit. I’m just tired of it all. And I’m tired of being the one who is always sacrificed for Ronda or someone else’s agenda. And then to top it off, we don’t get paid as much as we should, unlike our male counterparts.”

You paused before continuing, “I will admit, the way that I stated my grievances was distasteful and a bit selfish, but I didn’t know how else to get anyone to listen to me. I want to apologize for embarrassing you, and the company, and putting you and Liv in an uncomfortable position. That was never my intention, I intended to state my displeasure with the treatment of the women’s division and how we are ultimately nothing more than stepping stools to a particular figure.” You avoided his gaze and just focused on everything in the room, but him.

Paul chuckled before shaking his head, “Y/N, you did not embarrass me.” He said, making you look up at him with shock. “Shit, I mean what you did actually brought a smile to my face, that I had to hide from Vince. It made me think back to the Curtain Call incident in a way. You should never have to compromise your feelings and beliefs for this business, instead stand up for what you believe in. And you did exactly that, you stood up for what you think is right and you should do without remorse. Sometimes we have to be selfish with our agendas, cause we have to look out for ourselves at the end of it. Mercedes is doing it, Trinity is doing it, and now so are you.”

Giving a small smile, you responded, “How’s Vince taking it?”

“He wasn’t happy with it at first. But then he saw how much interaction WWE was getting and soon just decided to make it into a work. He’s open to talking and compromising, especially since your contract is expiring soon. But the question is, do you want to talk? Do you want to compromise? But first, let me ask you; when you did this, did you ever think what was gonna happen afterward?” You shook your head as he continued, “Well, then what do you want to do? Everything is your call now and I’ll explain this later, but you put us in a hard spot.”

You looked to Paul before saying, “I want a clean slate. I deserve a clean slate.”

Paul sat back in his chair, quiet for a moment. He widened his eyes as if he just thought of something, “What if I can make a deal with you? And I can give you that clean slate.”

You smiled, “I’m listening.”

—Time-Skip 1 hour later—

You walked out of the building feeling so much better than how you felt coming in. You squealed with excitement as you believed everything was coming into place and you were gonna get your peace back. That your slate, your canvas was clear. But then you shortly realized that it wasn’t, your slate wasn’t all the way cleared. You sat down on a nearby bench, getting out your phone. You pressed the phone icon before scrolling to a certain contact, your finger hovered over it before pressing it to dial. Lifting the phone to your ear to speak, the call quickly went to voicemail after two rings. You brought down your hand to end the call, but after quick consideration, you put it back up just in time to hear the voice message beep.

You took a breath in and said, “Hey, I just wanted to say thanks for everything for the past couple of years. Even though shit’s been going south lately and we aren’t what we use to be, I love you and I’ll still love you. I know you’re thinking about deleting this message already but I just want to say one more thing….




We’re over Christian.”

taglist: @triscillal @sheinthatfandom @wwenhlimagines @zatarias-pandora @hooks-martin @hookerforhook​

[theuntitledblog]

WWE Clash at the Castle (2024) - REVIEW

WWE's third UK PPV event in recent years is an interesting one. The card for me wasn't quite exciting as the previous Clash in 2022 nor did it quite compare as either Backlash or King and Queen of the Ring during the last couple of months. What I did like was that the event offered opportunities for newer talent to stand out such as Piper Niven, Alba Fyre, Isla Dawn and most of all, Damian Priest. Priest in particular may not necessarily be new but this was his first main event showing against a proven main event star and it offered an opportunity for him to finally click as World Champion.

I did not like the result of the main event on Clash at the Castle in 2022, I felt McIntyre should've gone over but it was an event overall that provided quality matches and surprising moments. Clash in 2024 for me didn't quite deliver like the event in 2022 but that's not to suggest it wasn't fun.

MATCH 1 - I Quit Match for the Undisputed WWE Championship

Cody Rhodes (champion) vs. AJ Styles

I wondered whether WWE might pursue this feud after the stellar match they had at Backlash and to be honest it felt the right call to intensify the feud this time as well as adding the 'I Quit' stipulation. This was also the right match to start the show and it was a match of the highest quality both in terms of wrestling and moments. What was noticeable for me was that Cody went through his standard arsenal of moves early on in the match which told you it was going to be different from the first. The match utilised brawling in the crowd, weapons, blood and even Cody Rhodes' Mum which felt somewhat random though fun. The slaps to Styles got a huge pop but I felt something of a disappointment as I felt this was something that perhaps should've been held back for the teased feud with the Rock down the line. If there was one thing counting against the match itself then that would be that the result was never going to be in question but that didn't take away from another memorable clash between the two which could've been the main event on any other PLE.

4.5/5

MATCH 2 - Triple Threat Match for the Women's Tag Team Championship

Biance Belair & Jade Cargill (champions) vs. Zoey Stark & Shayna Baszler vs. Alba Fyre & Isla Dawn

This was a very fun match that felt well put together and was helped along by a vocal crowd who injected it with extra life. Bianca and Cargill are on another level in terms of look and physicality and they dominated to the point where Baszler/Stark and Fyre/Dawn teamed up to take out the champions. This was a smart move and allowed Baszler/Stark and Fyre/Dawn to have the best moments as a wrestling match. The high spots and power moves from Belair/Cargill are truly spectacular although there was a noticeable botch from Cargill involving the top rope and a few sloppy moments. I'm not always a fan of dominant displays such as this as I feel it can make the competition look weak. So it was a surprise for the hometown team of Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn to overthrow the dominant champions and give the Scottish crowd a reason to cheer and celebrate which they did.

3/5

MATCH 3 - Intercontinental Championship Match

Sami Zayn (champion) vs. Chad Gable

This is a feud that has been steadily brewing since WrestleMania, carried over into King & Queen of the Ring and has seemingly been settled here. In my review for King & Queen of the Ring I noted how pleased I was to see that the Intercontinental title was still being utilised in a noteworthy fashion and this has only continued under Sami Zayn. Chad Gable deserves credit for his as well as his heel turn and abuse of the Alpha Academy has made this storyline a must watch of Monday Night Raw. Also given that Gable has recently signed a new contract with WWE, I was expecting Gable to win the title on this show. That he didn't marks one of the major surprises on the show. I don't think the match here was quite on point as the triple threat match the previous month, but this still a enthralling match with an injection of drama involving Otis and Maxxine Dupri that only elevated it further. The result makes me wonder what's next for Chad Gable and if this is it for him in terms of the Intercontinental title for now, then this was a entertaining story indeed.

3.5/5

MATCH 4 - WWE Women's Championship

Bayley (champion) vs. Piper Niven

Receiving a high place on the card, this was not an instant classic nor was it to the level of quality that we saw between Bayley/Naomi/Stratton at Backlash. It was however a great showcase for new talent as Piper Niven looked good against the veteran Bayley and they produced a good match that kept the crowd vocal throughout. Also adding was some fun interludes by Chelsea Green for good measure. Another predictable result perhaps but Bayley looked strong heading into what seems to be an inevitable clash with Nia Jax at SummerSlam.

3/5

MAIN EVENT - World Heavyweight Championship

Damian Priest (champion) vs. Drew McIntyre

When all is said and done, this match will be remembered for the noisy crowd, Damian Priest's determination following a painful botch and of course the ending. During the match it almost felt like a forgone conclusion for McIntyre who looked so dominant in front of a very friendly crowd to the point that Priest almost felt like an afterthought. This however was Priest's best match as champion especially following an embarrassing but painful looking mistake with the top rope that looked like it caused an injury. Ironically the match became more competitive after this with Priest in particular putting in a strong effort despite being in obvious discomfort. Drew McIntyre is a proven main eventer and with this performance, Damian Priest showed he could also deliver. The result is a testament to the long term storytelling approach of current WWE and CM Punk's interference was masterfully done on tv with the perfect choice of camera angles and only intensifies what is an already incredibly story brewing between McIntyre and Punk. Yet it is the same outcome for Drew McIntyre as it was in 2022, screwed out of a world title win due to outside interference.

4/5

OVERALL

With Clash of the Castle in 2022, we had the classic between Gunther vs. Sheamus, the betrayal of Dominik Mysterio and the debut of Solo Sikoa costing Drew McIntyre the title. Clash of the Castle 2024 for me isn't quite at that level, the I Quit Match was the best match on the night for me and that CM Punk moment was certainly fun but didn't hit quite as hard as Sikoa back in 2022. Clash 2024 for me represents another solid PLE from WWE with the 5 match formula seemingly working for them, but this was the weakest of the 3 for me since WrestleMania.

[scarlettaagni]

watching predator for the first time rn, what parts of the rest of the franchise do you think are good? looking to you as an expert :>

Oh, 2 is absolutely buckwild in such a fun way. [foams at the mouth] You already know what's up, you just have to watch the characters figure it out. It's also quite necessary given how little people have seen it, because it introduces a lot of worldbuilding staples of the Yautja (the existence of differing clans, for example). Also the last time Kevin Peter Hall reprised his role before he died, he got top billing on this movie! AND this movie is the first cinematic link between Alien and Predator, since it came out after the crossover comic (a cameo towards the end, you'll see)

AVP (2004) hurts a lil bit because Ancient Aliens BS and the way they crossed two R-rated franchises into a PG-13 movie, but more importantly. Sanaa Lathan with a basically romantic lead in a Pred. also big gator men doing WWE moves on xenomorphs. get the unrated version where they CGI in more blood and it'll be fun. dumb, but you can wring out a lot more from it if you really want to

AVP: Requiem (2009) has what most fans consider the best Yautja character, but the human storyline is annoyingly front and center and everyone is unbearable. Also, the movie is poorly lit, so you don't get to see a lot of the fantastic work the prop and costuming company did. Watch if you want have like 10 total minutes of excitement seeing outlines of cool aliens doing cool things while a romance plot interrupts them and you remember this is a dumb movie. Pretty gory though! That might be why they went so dark with the lighting, so they could get away with it. Warning for implied and kind of explicit child/fetal death.

Predators (2010) is personally a mixed bag for me because they make up their own thing (that I think is dumb) rather than adapting anything from the comics. a lot of people say it pays respects to the older installations, but I don't see it. It's not terrible, I am indeed very biased, you can go ahead and watch it if you want. They certainly did try to flesh out the characters, and it's star-studded if you care for that.

swear to me on Sigourney Weaver you will not watch The Predator (2018) I will experience a nuclear meltdown trying to describe it to you. Thank me later

please watch Prey (2022). if you are so inclined, find the Comanche dub version with English subtitles to experience it the way the director intended. If you intend on watching this, you really need to watch Predator 2.

[rhlgull1331]

PRO WRESTLING RATINGS 2023 (5 of 6)

20 professional wrestling matches out of 182 watched throughout September & October were rated 4 stars and higher.

AEW, surprise surprise, had the most top-rated matches with 11.

My favourite match of this block; Bryan Danielson vs Zack Sabre Jr. from AEW WrestleDream on October 1st. I rated it 4.75 out of 5. It was beautiful.

Here are 3 matches that I suggest you goddamn watch:

Chad Gable vs GUNTHER (Monday Night RAW, September 4th) I'm not a big WWE fan these days, but every once in a while they manage to pull their best wrestlers (most often GUNTHER than not) into having an amazing contest with major stakes that feel so very fun to watch. A primetime stage in Chad Gable' career began when he first challenged GUNTH and this rematch had his reputation shoot like a rocket. I hope they do it a third time.

Billie Starkz vs Marina Shafir (REVOLVER Women's Grand Prix, October 8th) Marina's time in AEW has not shown her at her best. If you've yet to see her at a time where she has the chance to act as a methodical and calculating powerhouse of sheer grappling knowhow, then you should watch this match where she manages to help the already impressive Billie Starkz tell a super compelling David vs Goliath story.

Fuminori Abe vs Takuya Nomura (Fuminori Abe & Takuya Nomura Produce Kakuto Tanteidan ~ Bokura Wa Kakuto Tanteidan, October 12th) Although it got a 4.5 and not a 4.75 (rewatch coming soon, that may change) this has gotta be the most engaging and thrilling and captivating match of 2023. Violent, yet positive in its way of harm. Both Abe and Nomura are made men to men, they are both such amazing wrestlers. Plus, they also happen to be the most consistently good tag team in the world today so more power to them!!

Wrestler Of The Block has been cancelled because I'd rather focus on my Wrestler Of The Year list for the final post.

The updated total of matches watched since the last post is....

950

Which means that I am definitely going to hit my goal this time. As I said , for 2022 I tried to hit the big 1K, but only got to about 800. After finishing with this year, I will continue to watch a lot of pro wrestling - I do LOVE it after all - but I don't think I'll be keeping up with current-day stuff in the same way as I have for the last 2 years.

Well, these past two months have been very slow-moving for me, since I've had to move house and took a week away from watching any wrestling to focus on that. I am sorta glad that I did take time away, because I did not realise just how monotonous this whole project had begun to feel until I got back into the swing of things.

Regardless, this is still very fun for me. I love this shit.

[buttdawg]

Papa Haitch

"Paul Levesque" has been trending on Twitter for a while, and the general vibe I see are people grappling with the realization that Triple H might be part of the problem and not the solution they always hoped for.

I think the mythology for the past 18 years or so has been that WWE sucks ass, and it's all Vince McMahon's fault, and the only way it'll get better is when he dies/retires/steps aside and Triple H takes over. Then people can say "belt" again and the camera work will improve and the booking will make sense.

I haven't watched WWE in five years, but from what I hear that's mostly how things have played out. People have been much more positive about the product since Vince retired in 2022, and that positivity improved when the TKO merger happened and Vince was moved to a safe distance from creative. I think it's safe to conclude that Paul is more competent at running a wrestling promotion than Vince.

The catch is that it's a very low bar to clear. This week has demonstrated to everyone that the bar was even lower than we knew. A few months ago I listened to a Behind the Bastards podcast series on Vince McMahon, and after seven hours they barely made it to Owen Hart's death in 1999.

Meanwhile, I fear that fans have set their expectations of Paul Levesque very high. It reminds me a lot of the hype surrounding AEW when it formed. The promise of a major wrestling promotion free of Vince McMahon leads people to expect everything they ever wanted. Our favorite wrestlers will always win and always get main event pushes, every storyline will be flawless and brilliant, we'll finally get rid of the flippy shit, we'll finally get more of the flippy shit, women wrestlers will get their due, and finally, finally, there will be sound, ethical leadership backstage.

The reality is that fans are now arguing over which company's press conferences are a bigger joke. Well, HHH may have fumbled the question about reading the lawsuit filing, but at least he didn't wear a silly hat like TK did as he deflected the questions about Chris Jericho!

The bar is pretty low. Maybe Levesque can figure out a way to recover and learn from this whole experience, and become the benevolent ruler everyone wanted him to be. Maybe his hands are dirtier than anyone guessed, and he'll be turfed out of the company by next year. Maybe he's only slightly less corrupt than Vince, and he'll manage to survive the post-Vince purges anyway. It all remains to be seen.

But it feels like the fanbase is starting to notice that this guy isn't necessarily going to deliver on all their hopes and dreams of a better WWE. It'll be better than it was under Vince, if only because they'll quit booking so many DQ finishes and no-contests. But they keep letting Hulk Hogan in the building, so that tells me they're not aiming nearly as high as I would like.

I see three kinds of comments on Triple H lately.

"Fuck that guy, he's just as bad as Vince and his cronies, and he should be fired too."

"I used to like HHH, but now I've lost all respect for him after that presser."

"Don't be so mean to HHH, you jerks, he's doing the best he can and you shouldn't expect him to talk about a lawsuit after revolutionizing Sports Entertainment™ with another great Premium Live Event™."

It's that third one that intrigues me, because I never used to see fanboys white knighting for Triple H before. It used to be they would talk about what a genius he is for conquering wrestling, and if anything good or bad happened to WWE, that was Triple H winning his game of 5-D chess. If something bad happened, it was a sign of Vince's downfall, and HHH would look like a hero when he finally got the opportunity to right the ship. If something good happened, then it made WWE even richer and more powerful for the day when HHH took control.

Now the message is: "Hey, leave him alone you guys, he's just a wee li'l booker, he can't comment on an ongoing legal matter. He's just a kindly old man cobbling Royal Rumble matches in his little workshop. Don't ask him about corporate culture and sexual abuse in the workplace. His heart's bad, so he can't take it!"

It's not a good look. It was probably more fun when he was putting on shows and hyping them up with Shawn Michael and Road Dogg like "Fuck yeah! DX is running WWE now and everything is badass!" But now he's got everyone looking at him with anger or suspicion, or pity. Maybe that all blows over in a few months, or maybe it won't. I think I might need a new userpic in the meantime...

[the-blue-brand-wrestling-blog]

The Blue Brand Wrestling Blog #4 - Drew McIntyre

The Blue Brand Wrestling Blog

THEBLUEBRANDWRESTLINGBLOG.BLOGSPOT.COM

The Blue Brand Wrestling Blog #4

Drew McIntyre

Hey there guys & girls,

I’m Andy Mac, AKA The Blue Brand owner and creator (@The_Blue_Brand) on X / Twitter. I thought I would delve into the world of blog writing and what better thing to write about than my favourite pastime Professional Wrestling.

Today I thought I’d discuss WWE Superstar, Scotland & the UK’s own Drew McIntyre. His WWE accomplishments include –

WWE Championship (2 times)

WWE Intercontinental Championship (1 time)

NXT Championship (1 time)

WWE (Raw) Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Cody Rhodes (1) and Dolph Ziggler (1)

31st Triple Crown Champion

Men's Royal Rumble (2020)

No doubt this list of WWE achievements is impressive, but these obviously don’t include his many titles won on the independent scene.

I had the urge to write about McIntyre after seeing his recent performances on WWE Raw and interactions with Riddle and Xavier Woods. Finally, after what feels like quite a long time it feels like he has some direction and that we’re moving towards a heel turn. A heel turn in my opinion is badly needed to refresh his character, not that I think his character becoming stale has anything to do with the man himself.

WWE needs to take some responsibility for this and well of course, the covid-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021 didn’t help his cause either.

McIntyre returned to the company and did a good job on NXT in 2017, winning the title there before moving to the main roster and teaming up with Dolph Ziggler (I quite liked this alliance). So here we are, heading towards the 2020 Royal Rumble, Drew is starting to get cheers, doing the countdown to the claymore kick which the crowd instantly gets behind. He’s got the look; he can talk, and he can undoubtedly work. He wins what is arguably one of the best Royal Rumble matches of recent times (Brock tore through the roster, Edge returned etc…)

So, you would naturally think that Drew McIntyre is heading towards WrestleMania against Brock Lesnar for the WWE Championship in the main event. Finally, he’s going to fulfil his destiny as the ‘chosen one’ and be the man in front of a huge WrestleMania crowd…. Then covid happens and ruins the entire thing. He ends up still winning the title, but he wins his first long awaited WWE Championship against Brock at WrestleMania in the WWE Performance Centre in front of nobody. I remember watching the documentary WWE produced around Drew, he was clearly disappointed about this, not that it was anyone else’s fault, and nothing could be done to change what happened at the time.

After holding the title during the pandemic era, defending it within the WWE Performance Centre and the WWE Thunderdome (Losing it once to Randy Orton before winning it back not long after) covid moved on, the world moved forward, but Drew McIntyre felt like somewhat of an afterthought. Post pandemic on WWE Raw, the show he was drafted to, Bobby Lashley, Big E and then Brock Lesnar were the title holders before Roman Reigns unified the WWE & Universal Championships. Meanwhile Drew drifted, still over as a babyface but it felt like his time to be ‘the man’ had been and gone whilst nobody was allowed in person to come and watch it all unfold.

Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed his challenge against Roman Reigns at Clash at the Castle 2022 and his feud with Sheamus and Gunther for the WWE Intercontinental Championship, but apart from that it feels like he’s been treading water for quite some time. The two above feuds took place after he was drafted to SmackDown, but apart from these two feuds it didn’t feel like much else happened for McIntyre.

I’ve been a huge fan of Drew McIntyre since he debuted on SmackDown when Vince McMahon announced him as the chosen one. When he went on to win the Intercontinental Championship, join 3MB and get released, I kept an eye on him and enjoyed his work with TNA. When he eventually made his way back to WWE and looked like he was finally going to be treated as the star that he is I was elated.

If the news and rumours are true and he is about to turn heel then I couldn’t be more excited. It will be exactly the shot of adrenaline his character needs. Make him driven to be relevant again at the top of WWE’s roster, upset at his glory and crowning moments being in front of nobody and how he feels forgotten and betrayed by the company and fans. The story is there, it’s easy. Drop the Scottish gimmick with the kilt, the bagpipe music (Any excuse to use the ‘Broken Dreams’ entrance song again!) and make Drew McIntyre into a monster heel!

Anyway, I’ll stop rambling on now. Thanks for checking this fourth blog out. I’m a self-confessed WWE fanboy, always have been since I started watching WWE as a child. However, as you can hopefully and probably tell I’m trying to broaden by Professional Wrestling palate and horizons. If there is anything else you can recommend, I’m open to suggestions. I’m taking a break from my 9-5 office job at the moment and trying to fill my time!

Please leave feedback, if it’s constructive then I’ll always appreciate it. I’m always happy to learn and to become better. Please keep it respectful though, everyone is entitled to an opinion.

Take it easy guys,

Andy

[omniversalobservations]

NOAH The New Year (January 2023?)

Pro Wrestling Noah announced Shinsuke Nakamura will face The Great Muta on New Year’s Day. The revelation stunned the wrestling world, leading many to wonder how the stars aligned for a final matchup between the two.

The news will, undoubtedly, spark hope for more crossovers or partnerships, but it’s best to just enjoy another surreal moment in an unbelievable year.

Muta plans to retire next spring. The 38-year veteran has two more matches left on his farewell tour with Noah following his appearance over the weekend in a six-man tag match at Ariake Arena in Tokyo.

On Jan. 1, he will take one Nakamura in a one-on-one bout. Then, he will compete for one last time as The Great Muta persona when he teams up with Sting on Jan. 22 in Yokohama.

In addition, he will join Kazuchika Okada and Toru Yano in an encounter against The United Empire as his final appearance for New Japan Pro-Wrestling on Nov. 20 as a part of NJPW X Stardom Historic X-Over.

It’s unclear if the innovative Japanese legend has any more dates left to announce for next year. Nevertheless, this is a star-studded sendoff for a man who deserves to get his flowers while he can still smell them.

[...]

The King of Strong Style described the match as a "miracle" in his interview with Tokyo Sports (h/t PWMania.com). He pushed for talks with the new regime after Vince McMahon retired, and the two parties came to an agreement on Oct. 26 thanks in part to his persistence.

"Of course, I wanted to do it," Nakamura said. "I opened a door that no one had been able to pry open. Hahaha...it’s a real ‘Forbidden Door.’"

Some fans may see his joke about the “real” Forbidden Door as a jab at All Elite Wrestling, which recently entered a partnership with NJPW. However, many of us always expected those two companies to work together because they share a fanbase and The Elite originated in New Japan. Even more, Tony Khan was always open to working with other promotions.

Getting WWE to work with Noah was a much tougher task because it historically doesn’t enter into such talent exchanges. The move will likely create goodwill with the Japanese company, but fans shouldn’t expect this to turn into a full-blown partnership.

This seems more like a one-off appearance that worked out perfectly for Muta and Nakamura. Of course, never say never in pro wrestling. More preposterous things have happened in 2022 alone, but Triple H still seems to have his eye on global expansion for WWE rather than forging partnerships with other companies.

Still, it’s nice to know that his regime is more willing to help historic moments like this. It’s a good sign for the overall outlook on the future of the industry.

Source: Bleacher Report

(images via YouTube)

[rachel-archer]

Curious

So, a little plot bunny moved into my head and won’t leave. I normally sort of stick to certain fandoms, but lately... I’ve seen a ridiculous amount of tiktoks about Dominik Mysterio and Rhea Ripley. Which of course, led to me being like what is this magic? And now I’ve got this story idea running around in my head, and it took on a life of it’s own... which is not fair because I have other things to do... BUT, I digress:

Summary (maybe): 

June 16, 2018 - Dallas, Texas [Danika] - She shot Martinez a look, she knew he knew English, probably more than he let on, she responded in kind, “Mi familia is coming to the show tonight, and I’m going home for a while afterward.” The man lowered his sunglasses to look her over, he shot her a toothy grin, it both unsettled her and made her want to vibrate out of her skin, “I might even miss you.” She admitted, after a long moment. 

July 4, 2022 - San Deigo, California [Dominik] - Summer Slam in 2020 might have been the proverbial start to Dominik Mysterio’s career in the WWE, but it had also been the end of his semi-normal private life. His high school sweetheart had left him shortly after because his time on the road was ‘too much’ too hard for her, and for a brief stint he’d fallen into sleeping with his best friend, Danika. He and Danika shared a set of twins, named Rosa and Nico, but they’d kept that largely under wraps for his career. For the first time in months Danika was at a show tonight, with both almost eighteen-month old's (wearing noise canceling earphones) in her arms. He picked her out easily in the crowd, from the backroom when the camera spanned the crowd a second and third time, the babies were rocking little Mysterio onesies, she was standing with Aalyah and his mom. 

[dreadwhoop]

Reviewing the All Elite Wrestling personnel 2023 Edition (Part 0) -

New to this? Please refer to https://dreadwhoop.tumblr.com/post/697331836428353536/reviewing-the-all-elite-wrestling-personnel-2022 to recap 2022 or understand what this is all about.

Yeah. Where to start?

A brief rundown. Usually these go out around the anniversary of the weekly TV show AEW Dynamite. Here I'll ruminate the overview between last year and this year. After we'll address the roster's ratings and then who to PUSH or GET RID OF and then, if I can, some other factors to complete the annual review. This will likely be a lighter affair than the previous years since I echo the sentiments said before and, as a principled individual, don't like changing my mind once committed to an ideal - if it's good it's good if it's bad it's bad I'll continue regardless. Having said this, every time I publish a PUSH or GET RID OF list I never change the decision or repeat it so you'll always see new entrants. Anyways let's move on!

Since last year we've seen the end of AEW Dark and AEW Dark Elevation and in return the inclusion of AEW Collision as weekly offerings alongside Dynamite and Rampage. The videogame AEW Fight Forever also released this year after significant delays which makes certain roster inclusions oddities as a result. By far though the most important day for AEW was All In at Wembley Stadium - their biggest event to date by far.

AEW continues to find a measure of success in places, put on some notable matches, and effectively make 2023 the defining year where MJF is the major draw which is why it'll be a bad blow to the company upon his inevitable departure following the firing of CM Punk and loss of Jade Cargill, two names they built up strong, whilst keeping under contract even more names than ever before. Here's something to look over with the documentation done over these 4 years. If you regard official active wrestlers, we've gone from 79 in 2019-2020 to 108 in 2020-2021 to 132 in 2021-2022 to now 156 in 2022-2023. Rumours of Tony Khan buying New Japan Pro Wrestling, Shimmer, and other shows as he did with Ring of Honor only dillutes the waters further. Let's make one thing clear - you only have a roster this bloated if you expect them to get injured so you can substitute someone else in, talent be damned. Dante Martin took a bump which effectively renders his past career over whilst Jon Moxley took a nasty stinger and now both AEW's cornerstone and capstone are sidelined leaving Tony Khan to DANCE WITH GARCIA BABY LET'S FORGET THE BAD TIMES LET'S DANCE BABY!

Moving on…

This whole story with MJF and Adam Cole bromance better end with MJF and Dr. Britt Baker D.M.D. being together and, for both their sakes, in WWE with her as his valet who wrestles too. MJF goes on about being a generational talent well it's only proven by having an incredible 2nd-generation talent with someone also talented especially after the botching of her 'abuse victim' T-Shirt. Anything less is fraud on the payoff and no don't feel sorry for Adam Cole because what they should of done with him was not what happened and instead has dragged MJF down to a level which insults the intelligence of its audience and his ability.

I want people to direct their attention to Netflix's documentary on OVW (Ohio Valley Wrestling) and how, despite the distance in audience and finance, the same problems in OVW crop up in AEW: lack of new fans. Retaining an audience is one thing but genuine interest is floundering. It's also worth noting the only difference between the success and failure of a promotion is how much revenue it has - OVW could be given a billion dollars and achieve just as much success as AEW so keep it in mind - context matters. Mahabali Shera is great would love to see him in AEW doing well. I'd also recommend Hollyhood Haley J, if only to get her to catering to get a decent meal because she's painfully thin and understand why, but you'd have to steer her to get the best from what could be a huge draw - making her lean into saying Tammy Sytch is her hero, got 'a-head' using Al Snow to work her way up, and generally make her an outrageous antithesis to Toni Storm who wants to be regarded as a star whilst Haley wants to burn everyone like a star or Julia Hart who plays at the darkness whilst she breathes it. Neither will reach the platform of WWE without a proving ground like AEW to see how well they thrive with established talents. Like Brian Pillman Jr. and Dark Side of the Ring, they can't afford to miss on such opportunities given the buzz. Hire some talent from OVW Tony.

Finally want to mention the series Markyd123 was doing on AEW was refreshing, as we need new takes, but of course the fanbase ran his interest off. Great job guys - let's continue to sabotage diverse voices whilst pretending we want diversity. As paraphrased by a relevant person to this conversation, you're either growing or you're dying. We'll see which AEW is come next annual review.

[d2kvirus]

8/1/23 Fact or Fiction

Statement #1: Sami Zayn had a better 2022 than Roman Reigns. FACT - Sami made The Bloodline entertaining, whereas Roman has made The Bloodline the sort of chore which was only supposed to happen if somebody put Evolution and The Authority into a teleporter at the same time, and that alone means Sami had a better 2022 as he salvaged an angle that had been crushingly tedious for a year before he joined

Statement #2: Bryan Danielson will never be AEW World Champion. FICTION - While it's clear he's currently being used to legitimise guys, having done the honours for Hangman Page in late 2021/early 2022 and is clearly being set up to do likewise for MJF in the very near future, it certainly would not surprise me if he did end up in a storyline pushing him to the title sometime in mid-to-late 2024

Statement #3: When reviewing a wrestling match you value the variety and innovation of moves over patient and realistic selling. FICTION - There's two reasons why: on the one hand you can have an awe-inspiring spectacle without much variation in moves, for example the match between Kenta Kobashi and Jun Akiyama in 2005 where they chopped the piss out of each other for four minutes and only chopped the piss out of each other for the entire time, and on the other hand sometimes a match can be elevated by the masterful sell job such as the Bret vs Austin match at WM13 was truly put over the top by Austin's sell of the Sharpshooter

Statement #4: Like how Eric Bischoff eventually went to work for WWE, Triple H will one day work in AEW. FICTION - If he didn't go work for AEW after Vince went out of his way to dismantle the infrastructure that HHH put in place for NXT, he likely won't go to work for AEW after Vince weaseled his way back into the company

Statement #5: You would rather watch the best wrestling event of the year live than eat at a 3-star Michelin restaurant. FACT - Not least because three-star Michelin restaurants tend to have a dress code, which is discriminatory against people such as myself who dress like the bassist of a late-90s post-grunge band, while on the other hand I was watching Wrestle Kingdom last week in my pyjamas

https://411mania.com/wrestling/411-wrestling-fact-or-fiction-was-sami-zayn-better-than-roman-reigns-in-2022/

[msbigredmachine]

Watched Summerslam 2022. My highlights:

1. Bianca retaining at home.

2. Becky Lynch is an all-time great, man or woman.

3. BAYLEY! DAKOTA KAI! IO SHIRAI! (Now Iyo Sky, which is ok I guess)

4. Maryse is a beautiful woman. My goodness.

5. Yes Logan Paul is a douche, but that boy is one of the best celebrities to ever step foot in a wrestling ring

6. The Miz does not get the respect he thoroughly deserves. Bad Bunny and now Logan Paul, making them look so good.

7. Bobby Lashley is mad underrated, as both a performer and a DILF

8. I don’t thirst over Finn Balor, Damian Priest OR Rhea Ripley enough.

9. Rey Mysterio is 47 years old and still moves like that. Amazing.

10. Edge’s entrance, wow.

11. Bum ass Corbin choir 😂😂😂 Only highlight of that match though.

12. A solid Tag title match. But all four guys looked good, especially Jey 🤤 WWE threatening to split up Angelo and Montez makes me sad.

13. Whoever is styling Seth Rollins needs a raise.

14. Ronda turning heel. Much needed. The same night Becky turned face too. Interesting.

15. Fuck Glenn Jacobs. 🖕🏾

16. A fucking tractor! 🚜

17. Brock picking up the dang ring with said tractor! The chaos!!!

18. The 9.999 beating of the counts by BOTH guys! 😭😭😭

19. Heyman finally getting put through a table! That man dead!

20. Theory getting swatted away like a fly when he showed up. I wanted his ass flattened dammit!

21. Brock actually making me root for him when he kept getting up. Burying him under debris was the best way to finish him off. I can’t lie; that dude is one of a kind.

Overall, a fabulous show. Mr Helmsley-Levesque has started off his tenure well.

My MVP - Michael Cole. He was in God mode the entire show. His commentary for the main event 🔥🔥🔥🔥. This is what happens when an old man isn’t in your ear anymore.

Line of the night:

Corey Graves: “I liked you better when you weren’t allowed to have an opinion.”

Michael Cole: “That’s changed. A lot has changed.”

[collisioncoursewithnoplace]

Ring of Honor: One Year Later

One year ago today, I was excited. I had some extra cash, and I was going to get a replica of the Ring of Honor World Championship belt. I never had a replica belt of my own, and I was excited to add one to my collection.

It had been a while since I had seen ROH, but I heard great things about the Pure tournament, and I had seen some highlights here and there. So I thought I'd be able to get back into ROH that way.

And then, I checked the news.

“Throughout the pandemic, our top priority was to keep everyone healthy and safe, and despite not producing any live events over 18 months, we were able to keep everyone fully contracted. We now find ourselves at a time where we need to make changes to our business operations and are planning a pivot for Ring of Honor, with a new mission and strategy.

The year will culminate with a Final Battle in December, and we will be taking the first quarter of 2022 to work internally to reimagine ROH. ROH has the most dedicated fans in the industry, and we appreciate their loyalty and patience as we reconceptualize ROH.

We anticipate returning to live events in April for the Super Card of Honor with a new fan-focused product and provide a unique experience for wrestling fans.”

Oh no.

On that day's episode of Wrestling Observer Live, they were finding this out in real time, and they announced that everyone had been released from their contracts.

Oh no.

A week later, I get the news that my roommate is selling his house, and I'll have to be gone by April.

OH NO.

Coincidence? I think not.

I was still heavily into AEW around that time, but I finally caught my first ROH match in god knows how long, as Taylor Rust defeated Tracy Williams in a Pure Rules match. From there, I watched my first full ROH PPV, Final Battle. Aside from the CYN stuff (which was hilarious in hindsight, given that Kross and Strowman both returned to WWE anyway), the show was tremendous and heartfelt. It definitely resonated with me, as I was getting ready to say goodbye to the place I lived at for four years.

I then caught ROH TV on Christmas night. I stayed up late to watch it, and it wasn't until the end of the episode that I realized that it would be the last original episode for a long time. Maybe ever. The next day, I set out to correct my wrongs of not catching up with ROH, and purchased the Pure Tournament DVD, as well as some other DVDs on clearance. I wish I could have gotten the Sinclair logo shirt as well, because I highly doubt it's going up on Shop Honor anytime soon.

Two months after I had moved into my new place, Tony Khan announced that he had purchased ROH. I made a point to catch Supercard of Honor, which was a tremendous show from top to bottom. In the gym, I began catching up on ROH episodes while on the treadmill, mostly from the pandemic era. I can honestly say that 2020-2021 ROH is some of the best pro wrestling television I've ever seen. Tons of great matches, and an easy to follow format. I haven't seen every episode yet, but it's tremendous. The three-way faction war between The Foundation, La Facción Ingobernable, and VLNCE UNLMTD, the rise of The Righetous, and the Quest for Gold to crown the inaugural ROH Women's World Champion is all just compelling stuff. I know Hunter Johnston catches a lot of flack for his booking philosophies, but he deserves a ton of credit for how this show came together over the course of sixteen months. I know a lot of people were disappointed by the lack of crowds, but I think having no fans was different, and in some ways, enhanced the product. Being able to hear the trash talk (Tony Deppen: "What, do you think I'm stupid?!" Tracy Williams: "...yes.") and seeing wrestlers work while calling spots as quietly as humanly possible is fascinating.

Since then, we've seen Death Before Dishonor, which was yet another tremendous show anchored by the rematch between FTR and The Briscoes for the ROH World Tag Team Championship. That was the same week as the overbooked, disastrous Barbed Wire Everything match between Eddie Kingston and Chris Jericho, and I was in no mood to hear anything about AEW for the rest of the week. Death Before Dishonor, much like Supercard of Honor before it, featured matches with clean finishes and little to no shenanigans outside of Samoa Joe vs. Jay Lethal. This is what I'm hoping for when ROH inevitably (hopefully) returns to TV next year. It needs to have its own separate identity. I get that it's easier to consolidate everything when you have the same crew filming and working your shows, but ROH needs to be its own company. Not just a glorified edition of Dark or Elevation every week.

The Ring of Jericho stuff shows promise, and it's a good way to keep eyes on the company, while simultaneously showcasing guys like Bandido and Dalton Castle, both of whom absolutely deserve a spotlight.

In one of the episodes of pandemic era ROH, there was a match between Dragon Lee and Eli Isom for the ROH World Television Championship. There was a throwaway line about how Dalton Castle (on commentary) wanted ROH TV to get Golden Globes and Emmys, but lead announcer Ian Riccaboni preferred to settle for a Wrestling Observer Award before asking, “Do we even qualify for those anymore?”

I laughed... and then I didn't.

Catching up on these episodes (as well as episodes from when The Elite were running the show) has been a reminder as to why I loved ROH in the first place. I have a pro wrestling creative writing project called Soul Wrestling Incorporated, and it feels like an emulation of ROH. I can picture the camera angles, the stage, the sounds in my head as I write these results and shows, and everything ties into ROH. This company has influenced my writing in many ways, and I can't thank them enough.

It's the company that never said die (even when they were losing money before the Sinclair deal), the company that developed talents long before there was an NXT, and the company that helped define what pro wrestling is today. Without ROH, there's no Yes movement, no Pipebomb, no Architect of the Shield, and Adam Cole Bay Bay. And while AEW could have turned out fine regardless, it was ROH that helped give the Elite the platform needed to break out and make it on their own (although to be fair, that had more to do with Being the Elite being as popular as it was).

ROH going on hiatus and firing everyone right around the time I had to find a new place to live really hit home to me. The house I was living at became a veritable safe space for me. It was the place I lived when I got my license, secured a promotion at work, and needed shelter from the pandemic. I always knew that eventually, I'd have to move on, but I always thought I had more time. But life has a funny way of working out. Now I'm a homeowner despite being told growing up that I never would be (I'm autistic), and ROH is going to host its 21st Final Battle event in less than two months.

Is ROH in a better place than it was a year ago? 90% yes, but 10% no. The future looks promising with a new TV deal, and the fact that ROH has the likes of Jericho, Claudio Castagnoli, Samoa Joe, Daniel Garcia, Wheeler Yuta, Lee Moriarty, Dalton Castle, Willow Nightingale, and more in their corner. In addition, there are arguably more eyes on what ROH will do next since the Elite left. But as a fan, I feel that a lot was sacrificed to get to this point. Jonathan Gresham, arguably one of, if not, the best technical wrestlers in the world, quit after not being used properly. There's no more Foundation or VLNCE UNLMTD (although I won't miss Chris Dickinson). Rok-C and Quinn McKay are both in WWE, where the former has wanted to be since she started, so I can't blame her. Most of the guys that were having great matches during the pandemic are being trotted out on Dark and Elevation to be fed to AEW guys. Eli Isom, for all the work he put in and all the great matches he had, gets steamrolled by Ricky Starks in under a minute.

So, there is cautious optimism. It all depends on who will dethrone Jericho for the ROH World Championship, and what the TV show will look like. All I know is that a year ago today, I never would have guessed that having ROH back in my life would be so damn satisfying as a long-time fan of professional wrestling.

Thank you for everything, ROH. It's been a wild ride. See you on December 10.

“We are ALL Ring of Honor strong.”

– Jonathan Gresham after winning the ROH Pure Championship

[kaileeandag]

Meet Michiko’s Family!

Kurumi Mitarai (b. 1924)-Michiko’s mother, she decides to begin working when she arrives in America with her family. She is a cashier at the Ames department store on Main Street, near one of the town’s churches. While attending college in America in the 1940′s, she learned about atrocities her country’s army was committing. She passed this information onto her daughters, although it got them in trouble with their teachers in Japan. Had her daughters when she was older due to wanting to be more financially stable, having older daughter Hanako at the age of 33 in January 1958 and daughter Michiko at the age of 41 on February 11th, 1965.

Kazunari Mitarai (b. 1923)-Michiko’s father, he works as a boss at the local company known as Cyro. Prior to working at Cyro, he worked at an office building in Osaka. Went to the University of Wisconsin starting in 1942, where he was discriminated against due to his heritage. Still, he toughed things out and graduated in 1946. Here, he learned what his home nation was doing to the men and women of China and Korea. Like his wife, he passed this information onto his daughters, even defending them when their teachers in Japan said the information was a lie. Married Kurumi Mukaiyama in 1949.

Hanako Mitarai (b. 1958)-Michiko’s older sister. Works at Jerry’s Market until the events of Michiko’s Spring book, when she quits in order to attend Maine Criminal Justice Academy. By the end of Michiko’s Changes book, Hanako is in the process of being hired by the Sanford Police Department as a police officer. Despite now being an American, she still styles her hair like Crown Princess Michiko, the wife of Crown Prince Akihito. Doesn’t understand why Empress Nagako dislikes the Crown Princess.

and as of now... -Kurumi passed away in April 1998 due to Lung Cancer, at the age of 74. -Kazunari lives in The Lodges Care Center, moving there in the summer of 2006 after a bad fall. Is currently 98 years old, will turn 99 on October 30th, 2022. -Hanako married an American named Eric Hilton in 1980. Spent most of her time at the police station working while her husband worked for World Wrestling Entertainment, known as World Wrestling Federation until 2002, until he left the WWE in 2004. Hanako currently works as a 911 Operator after retiring from the force in 2008, at the age of 50. Was considered one of the best officers on the force, choosing to be fair to low level offenders such as people caught with Marijuana.

[movie-magic]

Dwayne Johnson Shows Off Massive Black Adam Set in New Image

As production continues to roll on for Black Adam, its star Dwayne Johnson continues to promote the film, this time with an image of its massive set.

Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson has shown off Black Adam’s massive set with a brand new image. The former WWE Champion is one of Hollywood’s biggest and most bankable stars, starring in successful franchises like Fast & Furious and Jumanji, but he will finally make his long-awaited superhero debut in the DCEU’s Black Adam. After being involved with the anti-hero project for over a decade and the coronavirus pandemic delaying Black Adam’s production start, Black Adam finally began filming last month. Not long before production was a go, Johnson also announced that the film would hit theaters in July 2022. Marking yet another summer release for Johnson and director Jaume Collet-Serra, as their Jungle Cruise will be releasing this July.

Although not much is known about the story, the concept trailer at last year’s DC FanDome did reveal that Black Adam will be set in the modern DCEU timeline (5,000 years after his imprisonment), as well as exploring the destruction of his homeland, Kahndaq. In addition to Johnson’s Black Adam, the film will introduce the Justice Society of America with Atom Smasher (Noah Centineo), Hawkman (Aldis Hodge), Cyclone (Quintessa Swindell), and Dr. Fate (Pierce Brosnan). The start of the film has provided plenty of teases and insight into his comic book project, such as a glimpse at his Black Adam costume under his regular clothing. Now, ‘The People’s Champion’ has given an inside peek into the film’s set.

Yesterday, Johnson posted a set photo on Instagram that highlights what a massive production Black Adam is. The photo shows an enormous set that has possibly felt the wrath of Black Adam’s powers, with broken bricks and objects scattered across the set. Of course, in the image, the crew can be seen hard at work with an impressive array of cameras and lights set up around the set. Alongside the image, Johnson writes: “Wanted to show you guys this cool shot of our enormous sound stages and massive production efforts and scale.” The superstar also notes that they are at the “midway point stride” and called the “A-Team” production crew “the best in our industry.” Of course, he closed the post with his now popular tagline: “The hierarchy of power in the DC UNIVERSE is about to change.”

It’s not entirely clear whether this a set built to show the destruction of Kahndaq, as certain parts do have an old-school feel to it. However, considering this a DCEU film with a powerful force like Black Adam, one would expect many impressive and large battles that result in destruction. So it could potentially represent many moments in the film. The photo offers yet another exciting look into the production, and Johnson’s encouraging words and his mentioning that they at the “midway point stride” inspires confidence after the many delays this film has faced. It’s also clear the film is well on its way to being ready for its release date next year, along with possibly releasing a more revealing teaser at this year’s DC FanDome.

Johnson, who is known for going above and beyond in promoting his projects on social media, has been particularly active in showing glimpses from the set recently. Yesterday, he also posted a dark image of Black Adam, teasing his rage-fuelled backstory. The wrestler-turned-actor is effectively building the excitement for his DCEU film, and now with Johnson signing on to star in the animated DC Super-Pets, it’s clear that the Black Adam star is expected to be a big part of DC moving forward.

- Screen Rant