#blackpool contract club

[nagdabbit]

hey you know what we should all be hyperfixating on right this moment? when yuta has matt by the hair while mox gently pours tacs into his mouth? and then gently smooths his hand over matt's hair? that. we should all be hyperfixating on that.

[justagirlandhersims]

I truly believe this new version of the Blackpool Combat Club is what creative hoped The Elite angle would be. While Matt and Nick are a great tag team, their strength as heels is comedy (side note - Okada has turned out to have some pretty good comedic chops as well). If you're trying to "take over" a promotion, can we really take you seriously if you're wearing your weight in grandma's pearls? If anything, the only one who seems to have understood the assignment in The Elite is Jack Perry.

On the other hand, the new BCC is brutal. They have a mission and are singularly focused in accomplishing it. They have shown in a short time how far they are willing to go to "save" AEW. Moxley has always been known for his mastery in violence, while Matt and Nick's heel personas have always been more "douchebag frat bro". What a takeover needs is ruthlessness, violence, brutality - all the things that Moxley, Claudio, PAC and Marina (who is finally being used properly!) have in spades. Wheeler is their newest disciple and his turn was telegraphed beautifully by this shot:

Wheeler, who has been by Bryan's side. Who was forced to watch the BCC turn on his hero. Who was struggling to understand how Claudio (who lets be honest is his tough love father figure) could "abandon" a club Wheeler gave his blood, sweat and tears to. That Wheeler is reaching out for help (after being attacked viciously by the aforementioned father figure) while Bryan plays to the audience. Did Bryan eventually go and check on Wheeler? Yes. But I think by that time, the damage (both physically and emotionally) had already been done.

Now we come to the end of Wrestledream last night. This is one of the final shots before the PPV went off the air. Why? Because these are the people who will be leading the fight against this new Blackpool Combat Club. Who do we have?

Darby Allin - the handpicked successor of Sting. The very Sting who led the charge in World Championship Wrestling against the New World Order. Darby has had a tough time of it lately (both in and out of the ring - who gets hit by a bus and then goes to a play afterwards?). He has been a little lost now that Sting has retired. He was even handed his first coffin match loss. Moxley pretty much offered him a spot in the new BCC but Darby doubled down and pledged his loyalty to AEW. His fight against Brody King last night showed he is willing and able to go against seemingly insurmountable odds... and win.

Orange Cassidy - this man has become the heart of AEW. From a gimmick to hands down the best International champion this company has had. That speech (not a promo, a speech... in ring and heartfelt) he gave before his match against Moxley for the international belt at All Out last year? That was when we saw the beginnings of Orange Cassidy, the leader. This year, he has been betrayed by not one but TWO of his best friends. He knows what it is like to believe in a faction, in a group of friends and have that blow up in your face. He has clawed his way back with The Conglomeration (which, who knew that would turn out to be the faction we all needed right now), which shows his resilience. And much like Darby, he has never turned his back on AEW.

Daniel Garcia - I'm going to be honest... I didn't like him at the beginning. I especially didn't like him under the Jericho Appreciation Society (but the JAS was a joke from the get go, so I can't really fault him for that). The dancing... I could have done without. BUT I understand why the audience loved it. He has the same amount of potential Bryan did when William Regal started mentoring him. I'm not just stating my opinion - Bryan himself has said as much. While MJF betraying him wasn't that surprising or life changing, it opened Daniel's eyes to the "worst" part of AEW (kayfabe wise, not in real life - MJF is meant to be the personification of the overblown ego of a wrestler). His contract came up and what did he do? He recommitted to AEW and when Bryan was attacked, he came out to help. Because like so many younger wrestlers in the back, Bryan is his hero.

Hook - Let's be honest. Hook could have coasted on his father's name and reputation. TAZ is so well respected (and rightfully so), we all know doors were opened for Hook that may not have been available to others. But unlike a lot of nepo babies in the business, Hook has put in the work to become a solid technical wrestler. He doesn't have the ego one would associate with a nepo baby. He happily looks up to and takes mentorship from those around him (except Jericho but ignoring anything Jericho says is a sound life strategy). And like his father, he has put his lot completely in with All Elite Wrestling.

Not pictured: Eddie Kingston. Eddie can turn out to be such an amazing addition to this storyline. Think about it. His brother from another mother Jon has aligned himself fully (and brutally) with his mortal enemy Claudio. Bryan spent a good month and change belittling Eddie. At the same time, Eddie loves wrestling. Anyone with half a brain knows how much this man lives and breathes this sport. So what will he do when he returns? Will he set aside his hatred of Claudio and align with Jon? Will he avenge the honor of someone who called him the "king of the bums"? Or will he (and this is what I think will happen) become just as much a leader of the locker room as Bryan has been since he came to AEW?

Now finally, let's talk about Bryan's last run. He has said in recent interviews that Tony Khan wanted him to have that Wembley moment. That was not a creative decision he made. TK did it out of respect and I can understand his reasoning. But Bryan didn't want his end to be in service of himself. Instead, he picked Moxley to "retire" him. He used his final match to set up a civil war within AEW - a storyline which will bear a lot of fruit in the coming year. This will also set him up to come back (once this poor man's body gets the rest and recovery it so desperately needs) as a leader for the next generation. He will be the new William Regal but without the darkness that Regal freely admits he carried within himself.

Every single person involved in this angle deserves a standing ovation. Not just for their wrestling prowess but for the emotional weight they added to it. Wheeler alone deserves some sort of award for the turmoil he's shown week in and week out since All Out. You could hear the tears in Excalibur's voice as he tried to finish his duties as commentator. The look on Bryce's face when he called the match for Moxley... that hurt my heart. Darby struggling against so.much.tape in a vain attempt to help Bryan. Hell, his face as he came to the conclusion (whether right or wrong) that this wouldn't have happened if he beat Moxley.

What really got me though? The screams of "no" when Wheeler stood up after checking on Bryan. He hadn't even done anything yet but we all saw the train wreck happening in slow motion. That's how you know a story has been told well.

I for one cannot wait to see where all of this takes us. I have been a wrestling fan for over 30 years. I was watching live when the nWo formed. To see a new, fresh and even more brutal take on that iconic storyline is an absolute treat for me.

So thank you, Bryan. Thank you Blackpool Combat Club. Thank you Orange Cassidy, Darby and Private Party. Thank you to every single person who brought this story to life.

[wrestlinghistorywithkay]

The Hounds Of Justice : The Story of The Shield

June 2, 2014 will always be a day that I will never forget as a wrestling fan. This is one thing that I will never get over as a fan. My heart was shattered into a million pieces when an event that I never thought would happen. I am talking about the break up of The Shield. I am sure that we all remember where we were the night it happened.

The Shield was a popular faction in WWE consisting of Dean Ambrose ( now Jon Moxley in AEW ) , Roman Reigns , and Seth Rollins. The three Superstars made their main roster debut on November 18, 2012 at the Survivor Series Pay-Per-View. Reigns, Rollins, and Ambrose were originally supposed to be bodyguards for CM Punk, however , that changed and all three of them became huge main event names. They became dominant during six man tag team matches , having an undefeated streak on WWE Programming from December 2012- May 2013 , when they scored the biggest win of their careers , at Wrestlemania 29. Reigns and Rollins went on the win the Tag Team Championships while Ambrose went on to win the United States Championship at Extreme Rules the same year. Ambrose made history when he held the US Championship for a year in May 2014. Soon, The Hounds of Justice would face trouble.

In June of 2014 ,The Shield had a feud with Evolution, a faction consisting of Triple H , Randy Orton , Ric Flair , and Batista. On the June 2 , 2014 episode of Monday Night RAW , Triple H escorted Randy Orton to ring for a match and cut a promo on The Shield. Triple H stated that there was always a ‘ Plan B ’ for himself and Randy Orton , with Batista quitting WWE the same night to focus on his acting career. Thus, Rollins betrayed Reigns and Ambrose by hitting both of them with a style chair and aligning with Orton and Triple H , becoming the newest member of Evolution and The Authority. Reigns and Ambrose would be a tag team until June 16, 2014. Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins would feud until 2015. During Payback, the Hounds of Justice would have a small reunion when they Powerbombed Randy Orton through the announce table. In 2016 , the three would have a Triple Threat Match for the WWE Championship, in which , Ambrose, who was the champion , would retain. The same year, they would be on opposing sides on Survivor Series with Reigns and Rollins representing Team RAW while Ambrose represented Team Smackdown Live. Thus, this lead to another small reunion.

The Shield reunited one more time in 2019 for a match against Drew McIntyre, Bobby Lashley, and Baron Corbin at the Fastline Pay Per View. This would be the last time Reigns , Rollins , and Ambrose would share a ring together as Ambrose’s contract with WWE was ending. Dean Ambrose left WWE the same year and made his debut at All Elite Wrestling ( AEW ) as Jon Moxley and become a member of The Blackpool Combat Club. He has won the AEW World Championship three times. Seth Rollins would go on to have the Monday Night Messiah gimmick and win the Inaugural WWE World Heavyweight Championship in 2023 . He is a five time WWE Champion. Roman Reigns went on to become The Tribal Chief and have a record setting Undisputed WWE World Heavyweight Championship reign of 1,316 days before being defeated by Cody Rhodes at Wrestlemania 40. Nevertheless, Reigns also got his revenge on Rollins the same night by hitting him in the back with a chair. Seth Rollins stated that the next time fans will see The Shield reunite will be at their WWE Hall of Fame Induction.

My Final Thoughts:

The Shield will forever be a legendary faction in WWE and in Professional Wrestling. They were what made WWE Programming during that time period. Knowing that they also had successful solo careers makes me feel like they will always be remembered individually as well. I’ll confess that I was a major Roman Reigns girl. I hope that fans can remember them for what they did as a group and individually. When they broke up , I was raging. What about you? How did you feel when The Shield broke up? Who was your favorite member?

Love You All,

- Kay

[nextstopwonderland]

Bryan/Claudio #22, slow dancing?

Predictably I decided to make this a future timestamp sequel to one of my verses. This time the roh/early wwe one, these things will never change for us at all.

This references a lot of stuff from that story, so I recommend reading it first.

Takes place right after the 6/22/22 dynamite when Bryan announces he won’t be at Forbidden Door but he has a secret replacement.

Just sap and fluff. A smidgen of angst & past Nigel/Bryan

If I just lay here (1400 words)

Bryan is running on adrenaline from the moment he finishes the promo, and all the way to the Milwaukee airport and back home.

(He booked himself on the red-eye, but Claudio refused to let him take a Lyft from the airport.)

He’s disappointed he won’t be facing Zack yet, but he’s also excited for what’s to come. They’re keeping it a secret as much as possible, but naturally the dirt sheets know Claudio’s contract expired and he hasn’t re-signed yet.

So there’s speculation. Just like there’s been speculation on Bryan and Claudio’s relationship for years now.

It’s an open secret within the business, they’ve just never felt the need to make some huge statement.

After Bryan came back from his retirement, they made things even more official than they had been — buying a modest house together, in Washington but also not too close to home.

It felt like a vow renewal, even though they’d never formally taken any. Bryan hadn’t been in a great place, during that period of forced retirement. He found himself playing out his own version of what happened between him and Nigel, and he was close to fucking things up for good.

It was actually Nigel who pulled his head out of his ass, told him to get whatever help he needed to sort it all out, so he didn’t throw away the most important thing in his life.

(The ‘like I did’ went unspoken.)

It had been the pep talk Bryan needed, and he stopped pushing Claudio away after that, had a lot of therapeutic conversations with Nigel, and channeled his uncharacteristic anger and frustration into meditation and holistic retreats.

He reconnected more with nature, trained as hard as he could, and got cleared by every doctor except the one who mattered. Until he finally did.

Things were perfect again after that, until Bryan decided it was time for another change, this time on his terms.

AEW felt like a breath of fresh air, as close to being in Ring of Honor again as he could get but also different, new.

Claudio had still been on contract when Bryan signed and not ready to leave yet, but they both knew it was coming. When Blackpool Combat Club began they couldn’t stop talking about it together, thinking how perfect Claudio would fit; coming up with ideas and storylines and training regimes for Wheeler.

Claudio had always been an unofficial member, from the start, because he’s an extension of Bryan. And soon he’d be here for real, albeit Bryan not joining him right away on account of his injury.

As if on cue, his shoulder begins to ache more as he carries his bag through the airport, breaking him out of his thoughts.

As does his phone buzzing in his hand.

I’m at arrivals. How are you feeling sweetheart?

Bryan’s smile is instant.

He types with one hand as he walks through the terminal.

Alright. Tired. A little sore, nothing terrible.

should’ve let me come with you. We’ll have a bath before bed xo

Bryan pockets his phone, still smiling although now feeling rather anticipatory over what a bath will undoubtably entail.

He knows Claudio wanted to come along with him, but it was best not to possibly be spotted, to keep this all as much on the downlow as possible.

Still, he can’t wait. Can’t wait for Claudio to be back in the same company as him. To travel with him once more, have their schedules line up. Be in the ring with him again. He’s so close to having everything he wants.

Bryan exits the terminal and spots Claudio immediately, leaning back against the car in one of his polo shirts that cling to him in all the right places. It’s the purple one he knows that Bryan loves, and it causes a predictable jolt of arousal to his dick.

His smile is met by a matching one as Claudio spots him, jogging forward and immediately grabbing Bryan’s bag to put on his own shoulder.

“I’m fine,” Bryan huffs around a fond laugh. Claudio will never change: always the protector, the worry wart.

“I know,” he says, wrapping Bryan up in a strong, tight hug. “I missed you.”

“Missed you, too.” He sinks into the embrace instantly, never taking for granted how good this always feels.

Claudio presses a discreet kiss to his hair before pulling back and popping the trunk and placing Bryan’s bag inside it.

The car is still running and there’s music playing as Bryan slips inside and buckles up.

Bryan recognizes what’s on; Claudio must have been feeling nostalgic.

“This The Playlist?” he asks when Claudio’s behind the wheel, even though he already knows the answer.

“Mmm. I was adding new songs, and decided to start at the beginning.”

Claudio puts the car in drive and places his hand over Bryan’s for the rest of the ride, while Bryan is transported back in time.

They talk about the show (which Claudio of course watched), Forbidden Door, how the garden is doing.

As they’re nearing home, a track comes on that makes Bryan laugh.

“This one seems a little too sappy for you.”

“Says the man who likes Ed Sheeran.”

“Fuck off, he isn’t bad,” Bryan laughs some more, Claudio joining in. They pull into the driveway as Snow Patrol still plays “Anyway, I always liked this song, I just dont think I realized you did too.”

Claudio kills the engine while looking over at Bryan, a hard to read expression on his face.

“What?”

Claudio shakes his head. “For someone so smart…”

He opens the door, so Bryan gets out too.

He rounds the car, meeting Claudio near the trunk. “Hey, what am I missing here?”

“You always used to hum it, or say ‘leave this on’ when it came on the radio.” Claudio grabs his bag out of the trunk, slinging it over one shoulder and wrapping his other arm around Bryan’s, careful of his injury. “Don’t you remember?”

They head up the walkway, Bryan jogging memories of decades past. “Yeah, now that you mention it.”

“I liked it because you liked it.” Claudio unlocks the door and they head inside, flicking on lights and toeing off shoes. Bryan’s bag gets set down in the hall and they head toward the kitchen, Claudio’s arm around Bryan’s waist now.

He bends down to talk low against Bryan’s ear. “It made me think of you. Especially…”

He trails off and they come to a stop in front of the kitchen island. Bryan turns to him, sling his own arms around Claudio’s waist. “Especially when?”

“The train from Liverpool to Kent. You fell asleep on my shoulder. I added the song to my mp3 player shortly after.”

Bryan blinks up at him. He remembers that. He’d been messed up after Unified, Nigel having to go to the hospital and missing the reunion event. He’d needed Claudio then, who always made him feel comforted, safe.

Loved.

It’d been a confusing time for him, knowing he felt deeply for Nigel but also acknowledging that Claudio felt like more than a friend. His brain and his heart can’t divide that way, and so when it happened with Nigel he was all in.

Looking at Claudio now, hearing him talk about that time, feels bittersweet.

“Play it.”

“Hmm?”

“Play the song on your phone.”

Claudio raises an eyebrow but takes his phone out of his pocket and queues it up, before setting it down beside them on the island.

“Now dance with me.”

Claudio laughs loudly until he realizes Bryan is serious, already stepping in closer and winding his arms around Claudio’s neck.

“Your shoulder—” Claudio begins, but Bryan leans up to kiss him for the first time in days.

“Just dance with me, Claudio,” Bryan whispers against his mouth.

Claudio groans, pulling Bryan closer with his arms around his waist before kissing him properly. They sway to the music, kissing slow and deep in time with it. It feels dreamlike and as cheesy as the lyrics to the song, but that’s also what makes it perfect.

They break the seal of their lips after a few minutes. Bryan drops his head to rest against Claudio’s chest while he presses kisses to his hair.

“Thank you for telling me that,” Bryan says when the song begins to fade, the two of them still swaying.

Claudio strokes his cheek. “You have to know so many songs on there are for you, about you.”

Bryan assumed there might be some, but they’d never really talked about it before.

Bryan looks up at him, eyes a little shinier than before. “Looks like you’ll have to add some more soon, with this new chapter starting.”

Claudio kisses him softly. “Oh liebling, believe me. I’ve already begun.”

End

[100gayicons]

Congratulations to Jake Daniels who public ally came out as gay in May 2022. Daniels become the UK's only male professional footballer to be publicly out at the time. and the first since Justin Fashanu in 1990. He thanked Olympic diver Tom Daley for helping to make the decision. He also thanked Australian footballer Josh Cavallo who came out as gay earlier in the year.

Daniels had played football (aka soccer) with Blackpool FC’s under 18s since the age of 7. He officially joined Blackpool's youth team for 2020–21, scoring 30 goals for the U18s. He signed his first professional contract with the club in February 2022.

[melissahausen]

Aew double or nothing predictions

As always this is who I think will win not necessarily who I want to win.

1:Ethan Page and The Gunns Austin Gunn and Colten Gunn vs. The Hardys Jeff Hardy and Matt Hardy and Hook

If the Hardys and Hook win, Matt Hardy will own Ethan Page's contract:

Hardys and hook

Cause Hook hasn't lost yet really is all I'm basing this on.

2:FTR Dax Harwood and Cash Wheeler vs. Jeff Jarrett and Jay Lethal with Karen Jarrett, Sonjay Dutt, and Satnam Singh

Mark Briscoe will serve as the special guest referee:

I'm so torn on this match (you'll hear that a lot in this lol) , I want FTR to win obvz but I've a feeling JJJ gonna do it cause its been going on so long if they don't win what's the point? , I also have this horrible feeling Mark gonna get involved in the worst way, but aye I think it's gonna be JJJ

3: Wardlow with Arn Anderson vs. Christian Cage with Luchasaurus, Ladder match for the AEW TNT Championship:

Once again I'm so torn Wardlow has just won the bloody thing back but its a ladder match its basically Christian's wheelhouse ahhh I dunno, I think it's gonna be an amazing match and I'm going wardlow but it could go either way.

4: Jamie Hayter vs. Toni Storm, Singles match for the AEW Women's World Championship:

There's a rumour this match isn't happening as Jamie is injured so this is just a potential prediction lol but I think Jamie is on the best run so gotta be her.

5: Blackjack Battle Royal: 21-man Battle Royal for the AEW International Championship

I'm not writing down all the participants cause this post gonna be long enough lmfao but I think OC gonna retain , man's on his best run in his career.

6: Jade Cargill vs. Taya Valkyrie: Singles match for the AEW TBS Championship

Honestly I don't know and I don't think I care either , I love Jade but I'm so over this run, either elevate her to the woman's Championship division or make her lose , but I think she's gonna get to 100 before they do that so jade.

7: Adam Cole vs. Chris Jericho Unsanctioned match

Sabu will serve as the special guest enforcer:

I think they're gonna put Cole in the main event picture eventually so this might be the match to start it off going against a legend like Christopher. So I'm going adam Cole.

8: The House of Black (Malakai Black, Brody King, and Buddy Matthews) (c) (with Julia Hart) vs. TBA Open House six-man tag team match for the AEW World Trios Championship:

HOB obviously lmfao

9:MJF vs. Sammy Guevara vs. Darby Allin vs. "Jungle Boy" Jack Perry Four-way match for the AEW World Championship:

We all know Max gonna retain but I see some shenanigans happening, we're all expecting Sammy to side with max right? But will Jack actually turn heel tonight? , will sting get involved? Will Phil come back 🤢? There's so much potential for shenanigans to happen. But ultimately I think max gonna win.

10: Blackpool Combat Club Bryan Danielson, Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli, and Wheeler Yuta vs. The Elite Kenny Omega, Matt Jackson, Nick Jackson, and "Hangman" Adam Page, Anarchy in the Arena match:

Okay so this match my god this match , last years was amazing and I think this year's gonna top it.

Who I think gonna win I'm not sure BCC can afford to lose a match and the elite are back whole for the first time in almost 3 years so do they need it? Yes , yes they do.

Another match that can lead to shenanigans, another one that might include Phil 🤢🤢

Also one that can lead to the wembley matches being planted

I'm so excited for this match incase that wasn't obvious 😂😂

Also the elite winning yep

[wrestlingisfake]

Final Battle preview

Chris Jericho vs. Claudio Castagnoli - This is for the ROH men's world title. Jericho won the belt from Castagnoli in July, and although Claudio has since beaten Jericho in non-title situations, Jericho pinned him last month in a four-way title bout. So to get this one-on-one rematch, Claudio has agreed to join the Jericho Appreciation Society if he loses. Those stakes seem more important given that Claudio's current stable, the Blackpool Combat Club, is at a critical moment following the betrayal of William Regal.

The JAS and BCC have been feuding since May, when BCC's Jon Moxley backed up for his friend Eddie Kingston, whose issues with the group went back to November 2021. I think everyone's hoping this will finally end the saga. However, I'm hard-pressed to think of a "babyface is forced to join a heel group" storyline that ended well. If Claudio joins the JAS, the BCC will look like idiots if they don't try to get him out.

The other big issue is Jericho's current gimmick of dishonoring Ring of Honor by not respecting what the title stands for. So he does basic heel stuff like he always does, except Ian Riccaboni has to tell us "THAT ISN'T ADHERING TO THE CODE OF HONOR!" ROH was doing that lazy formula long before Tony Khan bought the company, and I was hoping Jericho would have a new spin on it, but that hasn't panned out.

Ever since Jericho won the title I expected him to lose it here. But now that the day has come I feel like the story hasn't peaked yet. I'd be fine with getting it over with, but I can't help wondering if there's some bigger name waiting in the wings to fight Jericho in the name of honor. In any event, I'm picking Castagnoli to win just to speak it into existence.

Dax Harwood & Cash Wheeler vs. Jay Briscoe & Mark Briscoe - This is a double dog collar match for the ROH tag team championship. FTR (Dax and Cash) are the defending champions; their AAA and IWGP titles aren't on the line. Each participant will be chained by the neck to one of their opponents. There are no rules and tag partners don't have to tag in and out of the ring. The match ends when one man scores a pinfall or submission on either opponent.

FTR captured the ROH tag title from the Briscoes in April and won a rematch in July, so the Briscoes have a deep hole to climb out of. The stip is clearly meant to favor the Briscoes, even though it'll probably still be a back-and-forth war right up until the last thirty seconds or so. Going 0-3 against FTR would be pretty disastrous for the Briscoes, especially considering they're supposed to be under contract but they can't appear on AEW TV, so being a top ROH tag team is kind of all they have.

It feels like FTR's triple-champ run could be winding down. They failed to capture the AEW tag title on December 7. They're slight underdogs here. On December 28 they defend the AAA title against Dragon Lee & Dralistico. It's widely expected they'll defend the IWGP title on January 4. It'd be a hell of a story if they made it through without dropping any belts, but it might be a better story to recover from an epic collapse.

Daniel Garcia vs. Wheeler YUTA - Garcia is defending the ROH pure title. This is the third match between these two for the title--Yuta beat Garcia to retain on July 23, but Garcia captured the belt on September 7. So this is the rubber match.

The pure title is defended under pure rules. Closed-fist strikes to the head are illegal, but you just get a warning on the first punch, so that one's basically free. Each competitor can only use the ropes to break a pinfall or submission three times; after that, the only way to be out of bounds is to exit the ring altogether. A championship defended under these rules is always award to the winner, even if the match ends by count-out or disqualification.

I could live with either guy winning, but Garcia really doesn't need this belt. It's cute to have a technician like Garcia hold this particular title while doing the whole "it's not pro wrestling, it's sports entertainment" bit. But if there was anything left to do with that, it's been covered by Jericho holding the world title. Whoever loses this match will need to pick himself up and figure out what to do next, and I'd prefer to see Garcia do that for a change.

Mercedes Martinez vs. Athena - Martinez is putting the ROH women's world title at stake. She spent 16 weeks on the shelf due to an undisclosed injury (which I suspect was a concussion). Martinez's big return was to confront Athena when she took liberties with a beaten opponent and also smacked the shit out of referee Aubrey Edwards. I got the feeling Athena was slowly turning heel, but as soon as she hit Aubrey she was basically the devil.

I guess Martinez could retain but that would really kill Athena's momentum, so I think a title change is the best way to go. Only problem with that is you'd have yet another ROH titleholder who has decided honor in wrestling is a joke. But if it means I get to see more of Athena clobberin' everybody then I'm cool with that. Unless she's clobberin' Aubrey. Don't do that.

Samoa Joe vs. Juice Robinson - Juice has challenged Joe for the ROH television title; Joe's AEW TNT title is not at stake. I was expecting Joe to face Wardlow on the show to blow off their feud, so this is an odd detour. But I'm a big fan of Joe and Juice so I'll take it.

Juice's video package where he issued the challenge sounded like a babyface promo, which is kind of weird since he dramatically turned heel a few months ago in New Japan. I'm curious which of these two the fans will side with. I would be shocked if Joe drops the TV title, unless Wardlow does a run-in.

Keith Lee & Swerve Strickland vs. Shane Taylor & JD Griffey - Taylor and Griffey each teamed with Lee back in like 2014-2015; apparently the story is they're mad at him for leaving them behind like he did to Swerve Strickland on November 19. I'm not clear on why Lee is teaming with Swerve here; you'd think he could and would choose literally anyone else to be his partner.

Taylor was a rising force in ROH just before Tony Khan bought it, so it'll be interesting if he's sticking around beyond this one match. But I don't think his team can win unless the story is Strickland walking away at a critical moment to screw over Lee.

Dalton Castle & Brandan Tate & Brent Tate vs. Brian Cage & Bishop Kaun & Toa Liona - Castle and The Boys are defending the ROH trios title. Cage and the Gates of Agony were brought together by Tully Blanchard back in April, but when Prince Nana took over the group in July they became the latest incarnation of The Embassy. I would expect Castle's team to retain unless they're leaving the company, and I don't get the impression they are.

Rush & Dralistico vs. Blake Christian & AR Fox - OK, so Rush created La Faccion Ingobernable after he left CMLL, so he could do the Los Ingobernables gimmick in other promotions. His brothers Dragon Lee and Dralistico joined LFI. Then Rush came to AEW where Andrade El Idolo joined LFI. Then Rush and Andrade turned on Lee on an AEW show in August. Now Rush and Dralistico are teaming up. On December 28 in Mexico, Dralistico is teaming with Lee. So I'm a little confused where Dralistico's loyalties lie. This is probably a squash match for Rush; the only question is whether he beats up his brother and rips his mask off.

Jeff Cobb vs. Mascara Dorada - This is scheduled for the pre-show. You may remember Dorada as Gran Metalik in WWE's Lucha House Party. Cobb has been in Japan a lot lately so I'm surprised to see him popping in here. I hope he sticks around. After he clobbers Dorada, that is.

Trish Adora vs. Willow Nightingale - Another pre-show match. Adora is the pan-Afrikan world diaspora champion but the title is not at stake. Adora is one of those names I mostly hear when people are talking about hot indy acts you need to watch for. I heard the same hype for Willow before she made it on AEW television this year, and she's great. So hopefully now it's Trish's turn. I'd like to see the winner get to challenge the winner of Martinez/Athena, which is probably more doable if it's Willow.

Matt Taven & Mike Bennett vs. Dante Martin & Darius Martin - More pre-show stuff. Taven and Bennett are The Kingdom, returning to ROH after it was shut down one year ago. Dante and Darius are Top Flight, which was heating up on AEW until Darius had a string of injuries, and then Dante got red hot as a solo act. I'm real glad all four of these guys are here and doing okay after their respective hassles. This is probably a showcase for Taven and Bennett, who made a splashy debut in AEW but haven't really done anything since.

Matt Menard & Angelo Parker vs. Eli Isom & Cheeseburger - Even more pre-show action. Menard and Parker are kind of the job guys in the Jericho Appreciation Society, but that still puts them way ahead of the Shinobi Shadow Squad in the pecking order. CB and Isom are here to remind us they exist before they lose.

[wheelyuta]

Paul Soren Gruber is a professional wrestler under contract with All Elite Wrestling. He works under the ring alias Wheeler Yuta and is apart of the Blackpool Combat Club. He is 1/3 of the AEW Trios Champions alongside Claudio Castagnoli and PAC. He’s been wrestling since 2014 across the independent scene where he was trained under some of the men he is currently working with. Despite wrestling for almost a decade, he still considers himself a rookie in wrestling therefore he always open to learning.

Outside of wrestling, Paul (or Wheeler because he has no preference) enjoys video games, comedy clubs, karaoke, rubik’s cube (can solve one in under 5 minute or less), meditation, gardening, playing the steel pan, binging reality television, sarcasm, and various other activities that he’ll impulsively try. He’s a very supportive friend and is open to talk to anyone about anything at any given time as an unbiased party. If anyone would like to have a connection with him, I’m open to it via DM’s. Yes, I have a discord but I don’t use it so your best bet is here or my other muses.

[therealefl]

Blackpool Among League One Clubs Chasing Veteran Forward

Blackpool are among a number of clubs chasing out of contract QPR striker Chris Martin, as reported by Darren Witcoop of The Sunday Mirror. Martin joined the West London club in January on a short-term deal, the 34-year-old made 16 appearances for the club, scoring on four occasions for the club and reportedly has a number of clubs in the third division seeking his signature, with recently…

[georgefairbrother]

A couple of additional points in context (thanks to @robbielewis for the nudge):

The alleged hitman, Newton, was apparently recruited at a Blackpool club, having drunkenly bragged about being a hitman, "If you want someone bumped off, I'm your man!" He later testified that, "It's a different world after 16 pints."

Andrew 'Chicken Brain' Newton: Image - The Independent

According to The Independent:

"... Newton hit upon the plan of luring Scott to a Kensington hotel with the promise of a modelling job. At this stage, the Old Bailey heard, the intended murder weapon was not an antique pistol. It was, Newton revealed at the trial, a chisel, hidden in a bunch of flowers.

Scott did not show up at the hotel.

And so, the prosecution alleged, Newton was forced to try plan B: luring Scott to a layby on Exmoor and shooting him with the unreliable antique pistol.

When the gun jammed, the prosecution claimed, Newton was left with no option but to swear, get back in his car and drive off, leaving the dog dead and Scott alive.

(Newton thought the friendly Great Dane was attacking him, and described the experience as 'like being attacked by a man-eating donkey'. )

In March 1976 Newton was found guilty of possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life, but throughout the four-day Exeter Crown Court trial, he did nothing to incriminate Thorpe, insisting instead that he, not the Liberal MP, had been the one worried about possible claims by Scott.

But in 1977, after being released from a two-year jail sentence, Newton changed his story and went to the London Evening News claiming he had received a £5,000 down payment on a 'contract to murder'..."

During Jeremy Thorpe's trial, Newton, having been granted immunity, admitted that he was known as 'chicken brain', under cross-examination he was asked if he knew what a 'buffoon' was, and the judge made it clear that he thought Newton was a perjurer and a publicity seeking idiot.

This week in 1979, (June 21st), a court verdict brought at least some closure to one of the most dramatic political scandals of 1970s Britain.

The BBC reported;

“…Former Liberal Party leader Jeremy Thorpe has walked out of the Old Bailey a free man, after a jury cleared him of the attempted murder of Norman Scott. Mr Thorpe, who resigned as leader in 1976 amid allegations that he had had a homosexual affair with Mr Scott, hailed his acquittal as 'a complete vindication'…”

It took the jury 15 hours of deliberation spread over three days to reach its verdict, with Thorpe and three co-defendants all cleared of the charges.

Jeremy Thorpe (1929-2014) had been leader of the Liberal Party since 1967, and was at his most powerful during the double election year of 1974 when he declined Edward Heath's offer to form a coalition which would have kept the Tories in power. Thorpe had held the constituency of North Devon since 1959, but was voted out at the 1979 general election, on the eve of his highly publicised trial.

It had been alleged that Thorpe had been in a relationship with Norman Scott (real name Norman Josiffe) in the 1960s, at which time homosexuality was illegal. Scott had become talkative and troublesome during the 1970s, including revealing the relationship in open court during an unrelated legal action, and even though by then same-sex relationships were legal, publicity of this nature, in the context of the time, would have ended a political career. It was alleged that Jeremy Thorpe ordered a ‘hit’ on Norman Scott, through an intermediary, to be carried out by Andrew Newton. Scott survived by virtue of the fact that Newton’s gun had jammed, although he had managed to kill Scott’s dog, for which he was convicted.

Despite the acquittal, Thorpe’s reputation and career did not recover, and attempts to serve in other facets of public life were frustrated. He died after a long battle with Parkinson's Disease in 2014.

[nagdabbit]

do you have another snippet of blackpool contract club? pwetty pwease?

for you? OF COURSE! tho this is the only other section that's even remotely coherent 😅 it's still early in the process! i am v enamored with these idiots as assassins tho

.

When his target wasn't guilty of war crimes or unforgivable acts, he liked to give them a quick end. No pain, no suffering. Let them have a nice day before he laid them down to rest. 

Sometimes that was poisoning a Solo cup at a picnic table, letting his target drift off in the warm sun. A car bomb that would light up so hot and fast they wouldn't feel any pain, just close their eyes on the sight of perfect sunset. 

This one, he'd put a bullet through the temple of—but only after he had a nice morning at the farmers market. 

He had a good vantage point, a clear shot down the alleyway young Wheeler cut through on his way home. It was otherwise unused for days at a time, it would be at least a few hours before his body was noticed.

Claudio watched down the scope, following Wheeler's movements as he passed between stalls. 

He had a good record for someone so young. Only one failed contract to his name, and it was one even Claudio had failed at. Danielson was fun to spar with, though, so he didn't sweat too much about losing out on a payday. And, besides, Danielson hadn't taken him down yet, either.

Wheeler got vegetables at one stall, stuffing carrots and celery down into a canvas bag, and turned to another stall for honey and jam. He wove in and out of people, like a dancer. All liquid grace. Claudio was enamored enough with the cut of his figure that he damn near missed the quick movements of Wheeler's hands.

He spun out of the way of another passerby, waved him off with a bashful smile, all the while fucking a stolen wallet into his back pocket. So quick he almost missed it. 

He was such a quick little thing, and his file hadn't said that. It hadn't said he had a disarming charm to him, the kind that let him get away with just about anything. It didn't say he liked to pickpocket just for fun. Not even for practice, it was simply for the joy of it. It was infectious, it had Claudio grinning down the scope as he went, tallying up the boy's score.

Three wallets, a few stolen grapes, a secreted away pot of honey, a handful of wedding rings and Rolexes. He managed to get a whole bottle of season vinegar into his bag without being noticed. And that wasn't even counting everything he'd stolen before Claudio had even noticed. 

By the time he'd started down the alleyway, licking hard-earned strawberry juice from his clever fingers, Claudio was packing away his rifle. He had money enough as it was, he could stand another lost contract. He would much rather see what the kid would go on to do.

[questintheskies]

JON MOXLEY SIGNS FIVE-YEAR EXTENSION WITH AEW, EXPANDING ROLES INTO MENTORSHIP AND COACHING

October 7, 2022 – AEW CEO, GM and Head of Creative Tony Khan announced that AEW World Champion Jon Moxley has signed a five-year contract extension. This ensures that one of professional wrestling’s top stars will remain in All Elite Wrestling through 2027, while expanding his responsibilities to include mentoring and coaching talent. Moving forward, Moxley will work exclusively for AEW and its international partners, including New Japan Pro Wrestling, where he is a two-time IWGP United States Heavyweight Champion.

Moxley has had an incredible run in 2022, most recently recapturing the AEW World Championship at "AEW: Dynamite GRAND SLAM” against Bryan Danielson, pitting the Blackpool Combat Club’s top stars against one another for the grandest prize in professional wrestling. He defends the AEW World Championship next against Hangman Adam Page in his hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio, on Oct. 18 on a special Tuesday edition of “AEW: Dynamite,” live on TBS at 8 p.m. ET. Moxley will kick off the action on tonight’s live episode of “AEW: Rampage,” the first night of year four of AEW on TNT at 10 p.m. ET / 9 p.m. CT.

“Jon Moxley is on the best run of his already legendary career, and this five-year extension ensures that he was not only here for AEW’s meteoric rise, but also remains a key part of the sustained success we’re witnessing, just days after the three-year anniversary show for ‘AEW: Dynamite,’” said Tony Khan. “Jon is a great world champion for us in his third reign. His wrestling mind is invaluable, and our roster is lucky to have the opportunity to utilize him as a mentor and a coach as we continue to build the stars of today and tomorrow.”

“I love AEW and the spirit of both the company and its fans,” said Jon Moxley. “I cherish our shared passion for the sport of professional wrestling, and I’m going to dedicate everything I have in mind, body and spirit to helping AEW be the best it can be going forward.”

[lostatseattle]

REYNA RADCLIFFE: ABOUT

╰ ❛   💉 — › zoë kravitz.  woman.  she/her.  .  ╯ have  you  met  reyna radcliffe  yet?  this thirty three year old  aries  has  been  living  in the seattle  area  for  a week.  she  makes  a  living  as  a  general surgeon,  which  is best suited for their adventurous,  passionate,  callous,  and  withdrawn personality.  66 days by rozzi is  one of  their  favorite  songs,  and  they're  written  by  charley

reyna was born in blackpool, england to a postal worker and a dinner lady. she took on her first job at the age of fourteen in a local record store. at sixteen she moved on to work at a pharmacy.

 the decision to go into medicine came after her mother developed issues with her lungs that meant she had to spend a lot of time with her in hospitals. she spent her time staring at charts and pretending she knew how to read them. one evening, after her mother contracted pneumonia for the third time in one year, a kindly doctor went through a chart with reyna and sparked something in her.

 when she was seventeen she was accepted into oxford's medicine course. in her first year she struggled with being away from home, coming close to dropping out about half a dozen times. but she stayed, and after graduation she moved to london to complete her foundation year.

whilst there, she met olivia hayes. the two started seeing one another and reyna even went as far as to stay in london for her core training year for olivia. unfortunately, the other woman left without word so that didn't matter in the ene.

 heartbroken and rightfully so, reyna moved home for three months. but taking up a job in a post office wasn't where she wanted to be, so she returned to complete her training and soon met celeste white.

 reyna instantly admired the older woman's work ethic, and apparently the other saw something in her. entering her specialty years, reyna started working with celeste as a research partner.

basic information

full name: reyna radcliffe

nickname(s): rey, reyn

age: 33

date of birth: march 22nd

hometown: blackpool, england

current location: seattle, wa

orientation: preference for women, most men are just particularly annoying d*ldos

occupation: general surgeon

gender: ciswoman

pronouns: she/her

languages spoken: english

accent: northern english

playlist : HERE 

physical appearance

face claim: zoë kravitz

hair color: black

eye color: brown

height: 5'6 (we're ignoring fc height thx)

tattoos: many

piercings: multiple piercings in both ears & bellybutton

clothing style: relaxed hippie grunge

usual expression: :|

health

neurological conditions: x

sleeping habits: bit of an insomniac, so not as regularly as she should

eating habits: whenever she remembers, vegetarian

exercise habits: walks to work

emotional stability: 6?

sociability: closed off

body temperature: warm-natured

addictions: x

drug use: recreationally

alcohol use: yes

personality

label: a woman scorned (but not really)

positive traits: adventurous, passionate, dedicated

negative traits: callous, withdrawn, rude

fears: being left, toes are a bit creepy

hobbies: idk makes stained glass windows?

habits: bites her nails when deep in thought

favourites

weather: a mild day, whatever the fuck that means

colour: black

music: relaxed, loves a synth, club tunes

movies: secretly loves adam sandler movies - will say her favourite movie is pulp fiction but it's actually click

beverage: tequila

food: nachos

animal: robin

family

father: joseph daniel radcliffe

mother: malgosia radcliffe (née bronstein)

siblings: x

spouse: x

children: x

family’s financial status: grew up working class

find her about page: HERE

[alessandrapushaw-blog]

With the evidence of this last witness

Recently reported third quarter earnings saw Nike have double digit growth in revenue and earnings per share. Revenue grew to $5.8 billion, which was a fifteen percent increase from the prior year. Earnings per share grew eleven percent to $1.20. A man is gored by a Miura fighting bull during the sixth run of the bulls of the San Fermin festival, on July 12, 2009, in Pamplona, northern Spain. The festival is a symbol of Spanish culture, despite heavy condemnation from animal rights groups nfl jerseys, and attracts thousands of tourists to watch the bull runs or take part. ARRIZURIETA/AFP/Getty ImagesA man is gored by a Miura fighting bull during the sixth run of the bulls of the San Fermin festival, on July 12, 2009, in Pamplona, northern Spain.

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Get daily updates directly to your inbox+ SubscribeThank you for subscribing!Earlier today, Record Sport told you how the Ibrox side are considering their legal position after it emerged thousands of their replica shirts are due to go on sale without the club's permission tomorrow.A number of Scotland's leading high street sports shops have been taking deliveries of the club's new look Puma strips throughout the past 24 hours and are ready to start selling the jerseys from in store and online from Thursday morning.(Photo: Tony Nicoletti/Daily Record)But that has come as a surprise to Rangers who say they have no knowledge of any deal between Sports Direct, Puma and other shops Cheap Jerseys china.Greaves Sports confirmed on Twitter that they will not be selling any of the new home, away and third kits until they have discussed the matter with Rangers.The statement on the website read: "Since terminating the IP Licence and Rights Agreement with Rangers Retail Limited, the club has made its best efforts to engage with PUMA on an agreed way forward without the involvement of Sports Direct for the manufacture of replica kits and other merchandise to supporters.Rangers ready to launch legal bid as Mike Ashley prepares to sell the jerseys without club go ahead"During discussions it emerged that PUMA had manufactured some replica kit after receiving purchase orders directly from Sports Direct and without the prior knowledge or agreement of the club and its directors on the Rangers Retail Limited board, Paul Murray and David King."Despite requests to Sports Direct and PUMA we have not been able to ascertain full details of this arrangement or to reconcile it with the commercial contracts that were in place between the club and Rangers Retail Limited.(Photo: SNS)"The club has not been party to discussions on the launch of kit sales by PUMA this week. We were first notified of their intentions after close of business on Friday last week."We are surprised and disappointed by the lack of consultation with the club and/or supporters groups prior to the launch."Mark Warburton's side kick off the new Premiership season at home to Hamilton on Saturday but the players have already been wearing the latest Puma design in summer friendlies and in League Cup action despite its unavailability in the shops.Rangers supporters group, Club 1872, issued their own statement this evening and are urging supporters not to buy any of the kirs no matter what retailer has them on sale."It is absolutely clear from the statement issued by Rangers that the situation regarding official Rangers merchandise has not been resolved to their satisfaction," said Club 1872."As a result we would urge supporters not to purchase the official kit from ANY outlets where it goes on sale.(Photo: Joe Giddens/PA Wire)"It has been clear for some time that Sports Direct continue to treat both our football club and our supporters with utter contempt. It is extremely disappointing to see Puma follow suit by making this season's kit available for sale without reaching a satisfactory agreement with Rangers https://www.cheapjerseys168.com."We have been used to this type of behaviour from Sports Direct and Mike Ashley but it now appears Puma are following suit Cheap Jerseys china.

[hazyheel]

WWE NXT UK 8/7/19 Review

The night started off with Noam Dar vs. Ashton Smith. Dar immediately backed off when the match started, before picking the arm and starting to work it over. I wasn’t very familiar with Smith before this match, although I think I’ve seen in in one of the UK championship tournaments before. It was clear that he is a cruiserweight style of wrestler with a lot of muscle behind him. Dar feigned an injury early on, using it to get the advantage with a leg sweep on the apron followed by a low dropkick.  Dar was constantly misdirecting his much larger opponent, using his speed and cunning to keep Smith down. At one point, Dar wanted the nova roller, but Smith wouldn’t get off the mat. Dar went to pick him up, but Smith rolled him up for a convincing near fall. Smith then went for a rough rider off the top, but missed and allowed Dar to hit the nova roller for the win. 

After the match, Dar talked about how good he is in NXT UK. He announced that he will be at NXT UK Takeover Cardiff, due to his contract status. 

Grade: B-. Good match, Smith impressed a lot as I’m sure he usually does. But Dar is the one getting the push right now, so he certainly had to win. He showed how good he was, and announced that he is guaranteed a match at Cardiff. It will probably be with Kenny Williams in a possible stipulation match, but it’d be interesting if they flipped the script. But this was a good match and a good opener. 

Then we had an interview with Tyler Bate backstage, who said that although he has the disadvantage in numbers, he will not let Walter continue to disrespect the title. He is a good underdog. 

Grizzled Young Veterans were out next, complaining about how Gallus wanted a title match. Zack Gibson talked about how while they have an impressive streak, they’ve only beaten jobbers. Gallus then came out, saying that they are demanding the match. Right as they entered the ring, Mark Andrews came out alongside Flash Morgan Webster. I am happy that this team still exists. Andrews put them over, saying that they deserve a match because it is in their hometown. Gibson said that they didn’t deserve it, which is fair, and Mark Coffey said “pipe down junior, the big boys are talking,” which was wonderful. Gibson ended the interaction by saying that the only person who can make the match is Johnny Saint. He said that Andrews and Webster still need to earn their spot, and they walked away. 

Grade: B. Good stuff, I’m glad it’s not going to be a heel vs. heel match. Probably going to end in a triple threat if I had to guess. As for the promo, Gibson is great on the mic as he always is. Everyone else was kinda his bitch here, he was just so much better than them on the mic. They are dominant champions, so it makes sense for them to dominate here. I like the story, but i doubt there will be a title change. 

Backstage, Travis Banks was interviewed. He was just leaving Johnny Saint’s office, where he asked for a match on Takeover: Cardiff. He was told that he had to earn it, and confirmed that Noam Dar also had to earn it. So he set out to do just that. 

Then Webster and Andrews were interviewed as well, as they walked into the GM’s office as Banks was leaving. They admitted that they had to earn their match as well. So they have to win some tag matches. Cool, fair enough. Also, I love the backstage interviewer. He is so innocent and wonderful and happy. I don’t know his name, but I really like him. 

Then we had Jinny and Jazzy Gabert vs. Xia Brookside and Piper Niven. Brookside and Jinny started things off, and Brookside teed off on Jinny quickly. The two had a little bit of interaction before Jinny dropped Brookside with a vicious forearm. Both teams utilized a quick tag strategy, keeping people fresh and allowing Niven to get a cool hot tag. Niven even gave Jinny a powerbomb into her own corner so that Gabert would tag in. The two had a striking contest that Niven won, before tagging in Brookside for some tandem offense. During the match, Rhea Ripley came down to the ring, and Niven started to brawl with her. The tow fought into the back, leaving Brookside without a partner. Brookside showed some heart by putting up some fight against Jinny, but Gabert threw her around a bit before hitting her facebuster for the win.

Grade: C-. Not a very good match, mostly used to set up a Ripley and Niven rematch. Although they did showcase how Jinny is willing to use an unfair advantage and how valiant Brookside is, it wasn’t very exciting. The outcome wasn’t really in doubt, and Jinny doesn’t have took much of a story right now, considering her repeated victories over Brookside. 

We saw a video package about the history between Storm and Ray. Nothing really new though. 

Backstage, Ilja Dragunov was going to be interviewed, but Kassius Ohno interrupted. Dragunov got in his face, and Ohno immediately backed off. The match was scheduled for next week’s main event. Jeez, doesn’t take much to get the main event on this show. 

And in the main event, we had Joe Coffey vs. Dave Mastiff. Gallus was not in Coffey’s corner during the match, heading to the back after walking him out. The two had started with tests of strength which ended in a stalemate, only to immediately start to brawl. They threw heavy rights and lefts and went back and forth for a while, with neither man really gaining the advantage. Mastiff seemed to have a bit of a power advantage, while Coffey had the agility. Early on, Mastiff went to give Coffey a german suplex out of the corner, so Coffey tried desperately to hold onto the middle turnbuckle. Mastiff actually ripped the turnbuckle off as he hit the move, which looked great. Right afterwards, Coffey ran Mastiff right into the exposed turnbuckle, gaining the advantage and giving Coffey a target. Mastiff still fought back through the pain hitting some great power moves and a couple hard strikes. Mastiff actually gave Coffey a pair of forearm clubs to the ears, messing up his equilibrium and giving the match an interesting feel. Coffey’s ear was actually bleeding, so Mastiff targeted the side of the head and the ears. Coffey couldn’t even hit some high flying offense, falling off the top rope before he could get the hit. The two then brawled desperately on the outside, ending a quick match with a double countout. 

After the match as doctors checked them out, the two were yelling at each other and trying to incite a fight. Neither cared about the win, they wanted to kill each other. 

Grade: B+. This was a brutal brawl that seems to be leading to a no DQ match. That would certainly be a welcome addition to the Takeover Card, similar to Mastiff’s brawl with Eddie Dennis in Blackpool. Except these two have really good chemistry, and they seem to hate each other enough to want that stip. However, I would prefer a normal match, as this brawl was really exciting and doesn’t need a stipulation to be great. Match of the night. 

Overall grade: B-

Pros: Main event

Cons: Women’s tag

[mayhemproduces]

Prince Devitt (c) vs Wheeler Yuta- MPW World Championship

Tonight, it was MPW vs ROH, Bullet Club vs Blackpool Combat Club, the MPW World Champion vs The Ring of Honor Pure Champion, Prince Devitt vs Wheeler Yuta, for the first time ever! The crowd here in San Jose was clearly enthused to have Yuta back in MPW after almost exactly a year since his last appearance, in that time going from the IWTV Independent Wrestling World Champion to the ROH Pure Champion, and gaining an AEW contract. Prince Devitt, obviously, in that time, captured the MPW World Championship. Now for the first time ever, these two world class competitors go one on one. 

The bell rings, and Devitt tries to take a running start at Yuta, looking to blindside him, but Yuta sidesteps the shotgun dropkick, and grabs Devitt, looking for the Piledriver, but Devitt shoves Yuta off, looking for Bloody Sunday, but Yuta instead rolls Devitt up! 

1…2… Kickout!

It was dangerously close, way too close for Prince and the rest of Bullet Club’s collective comforts. Prince leans on a knee, watching Yuta who takes this opportunity to flip him off now. He runs at Prince, but the champion gets over himself quick enough to get out of the way. Prince gets the upper hand now when he puts him in a headlock, but Yuta manages to get out of it and kicks Prince’s legs out from underneath him. The challenger bounces off the ropes and leaps at him with a flying forearm to his forehead. Then, he grabs him and throws him down hard on his back. 

Yuta bounces off the ropes to stomp on the champion’s chest, but Prince rolls out of the way. Instead, Prince places Yuta in a harsh ankle lock, he doesn’t intend for Yuta to tap out…but he does want him to suffer. He doesn’t even have any ill will toward Yuta at all, he just had the audacity to show up. He quirks Yuta’s arm now so that it’s painfully bending behind his back. Wheeler’s yells of pain only add to Prince’s sick grin, he eventually drops down with Yuta with him to lock in an armbar. 

The challenger tried to push Devitt’s legs away but he was unyielding with his lock on the hold. Wheeler was close to the middle, but his legs were just long enough to reach the bottom rope and force the break. But the former leader of the Bullet Club wasn’t so willing to break the hold, it took until the referee’s count of four for him to break the count. 

“Fuck off!” He gets in the referee’s face. But he leaves Yuta to his own devices, which allows him to gather up strength. He tries to roll Prince up again, but he rolls through and dropkicks Yuta in the face. He goes flying on his back. Devitt grabs him and drops him on his head with a brainbuster on his knee. He goes for a cover.

1…

2…

KICKOUT!

Prince grabs Yuta by the hair and laughs when he yells out in pain. Wheeler has a small burst of energy and elbows him hard in the mouth, but immediately gets met with a vicious chop to his chest. He repeats the action until Wheeler’s chest is bright red, but Wheeler gets in his face and presses his forehead against his. Every match of Prince’s eventually turns into a grudge match and this is no different. 

“I’ll fucking kill ya, you little shit.” He hisses in his challenger’s face. “You never should’ve shown up.” 

Yuta responds with a swift kick to his midsection. He goes behind Prince and drops him with a back breaker, but immediately pulls his arms around him and over opposite shoulders, digging his knees into his back. Prince is now yelling out in pain, but gets distracted by Tama Tonga jumping up on the apron. With Prince’s signal, Tama jumps off. But Yuta has no idea what’s about to hit him. Prince grabs him and throws him over his shoulders in a Fireman’s carry and drops him with Prince’s Throne! He goes for a cover.

1…

2…

KICKOUT!

Yuta crawled to the corner, and Devitt measured him before charging Yuta, but Yuta managed to dodge, slipping behind Devitt before catching him with an enziguri to the back of the head! Devitt was stunned, and Yuta grabbed his head, before using the ropes to plant Devitt with a Tornado DDT! Devitt was spiked on the top of his head, before rolling out onto the apron to recover. Yuta followed him out there, and tried to lift Devitt back up to his feet, but Devitt caught Yuta with a shot to the gut, before standing up and nailing Yuta with a stiff looking forearm. The shots from Devitt kept coming, before Devitt took a few steps back and attempted a rolling elbow on Yuta, but Yuta ducked it, and wrapped his arms around Devitt’s waist, before charging forward and driving Devitt into the ring post! Devitt was stunned, and Yuta used the opportunity to turn Devitt back around, and drop him with a DDT on the apron! Prince Devitt crashed head first down onto the hardest part of the ring, and then down to the floor on the outside!

Yuta went for a walk around the ring to compose himself and catch his breath for a second, as Devitt was still laid out on the outside. The ref, Bryce Remsburg for this match, told Yuta to bring it back into the ring, and Yuta obliged, tossing Prince Devitt back into the ring before sliding back in himself. Yuta watched and measured Devitt as he used the corner to pull himself back up, before charging at Devitt. Devitt got out of the way, and tried to nail Yuta with a big forearm, but Yuta caught Devitt, trying to drive him into the turnbuckles with a flatliner, but Devitt caught Yuta with several hard elbows, breaking Yuta’s grip on him. Yuta stumbled back, holding his head, perhaps his equilibrium a little thrown off by those shots to the ear. Devitt charged Yuta, before going for a wheelbarrow, which he rolled through into a victory roll, but rather than pin Yuta, he got up and twisted Yuta’s legs around his own, locking in a Figure Four! Devitt had Yuta trapped in the Figure Four in the middle of the ring! Devitt wrenched back on the hold, as Bryce asked Yuta if he wanted to give up. Yuta insisted he didn’t, but the pain on his face as Devitt continued to wrench back with the hold told a different story! Yuta may be just seconds away from tapping out to Prince Devitt!

Yuta was pulling on his own hair, trying to fight through the pain, trying not to submit while simultaneously trying to figure a way out of this hold! Devitt continued to wrench back on the figure four, practically trying to tear Yuta’s ACL! A hold like this can leave a competitor on the shelf for months, if not permanently crippled! Yuta began to rock himself, trying to turn Devitt over, which would reverse the pressure on the hold to Devitt, but as Yuta rolled, managing to turn Devitt over for a second, Devitt knew to roll with Yuta, and managed to roll through and keep the hold locked in and the pressure on Yuta’s knees! Yuta once again told Bryce that he was fine and didn’t want to submit, but the pain on Yuta’s face told a much different story. Yuta began to reach out and try to drag both himself and Prince Devitt to the ropes, and when that didn’t quite seem to work, Yuta began to try and pry at the legs of Devitt, managing to start to pick away at one of Devitt’s ankles, but Devitt shut that down quickly, and kept the hold locked in! Yuta let out another cry of agony, but with one final last gasp of effort, managed to pull himself to the ropes and force a break!

Devitt kept the hold on until the referee’s count of four, making sure to milk every last ounce of punishment he could out of the hold, until he had to let it go or face disqualification. While many matches in MPW had more relaxed rules, referees would tailor the match to those in it. Both Prince Devitt and Wheeler Yuta being traditional grapplers, the full rulebook would be in play tonight, disqualifications included. Devitt got back to his feet and grabbed Yuta’s leg, catching it with a kick that caused Yuta to let out another cry of agony. Wheeler Yuta has a history of leg injuries, and the plan of attack here for Prince Devitt appeared to be to go after those frequently injured legs of Wheeler Yuta. Devitt caught Yuta with another kick, right to the soft of the knee, which caused Yuta more excruciating pain. Yuta dragged himself to the corner and did his best to stand back up, but all it earned him was a brutal shot with the forearm from Prince Devitt. Devitt then tried to once again go for Yuta’s legs, but a knee to the head from Yuta backed him off! Devitt stumbled out of the corner, and Yuta hobbled over, catching Devitt with a few choice knees to the ribcage. Devitt caught one of Yuta’s legs though, and attempted a dragon screw, but Yuta stepped through and blocked it, leaving Devitt sitting on his ass, in prime position to get blasted with a Superkick from Wheeler Yuta right to the side of the head! That kick ROCKED Devitt, and he looked like he may not know where he even is! 

Devitt rolled to the outside apron again, and Yuta tried to pull him back into the ring, but Devitt caught him with a forearm. Yuta stumbled, before Devitt sweeped the legs out from under Yuta, and tried to vault over the ropes into a modified rear naked choke, but Yuta didn’t even let him get it in before rolling through, into a quick pin attempt!

1… Kickout!

Devitt manages to escape, and get back to his feet, grabbing Yuta and driving his bad leg down into Devitt’s knee with a shinbreaker, but Yuta fires back with a knee to the face, sending Devitt stumbling back! However, Devitt is quick to recover, and launches himself forward, nailing Yuta right in the bad knee with a low dropkick! Wheeler Yuta is taken down once again, and once again finds himself clutching his own knee! Prince Devitt’s gameplan here has worked to perfection! Devitt dropped into the cover on Yuta!

1… Kickout!

A quick kickout there from Yuta, but as he kicks out, he goes right back to grabbing at the leg. Devitt grabs Yuta’s leg away from him and catches him with another kick to the soft part of the knee, before then trapping the leg in a leg bar, wrenching back on the hold! Once again, Yuta is left riving in agony in the leg lock, as Devitt continued to torque back on the hold! Devitt stands up with the leg, before snapping down with it, once again causing Wheeler Yuta a great deal of pain! Devitt stalked Yuta as Yuta tried to drag himself up to his feet, eventually being able to stand but not for long as he fell as soon as he tried to put weight on the leg. Devitt grabbed at Yuta again, trying to pick the leg again, but a few clubbing shots from Yuta prevented that from happening. Yuta tried to turn it around and go for a Piledriver, but Devitt easily shoved Yuta off into the corner. Devitt charged Yuta, but he was caught, before being driven face first into the turnbuckles with a flatliner from Wheeler Yuta! Devitt’s head snapped back on impact, and once again Devitt found himself in a daze. Yuta took a few moments to try and stretch out his leg, just trying to get some feeling back in it, before attempting to stand. He was on shaky legs but Yuta was up, and dragging Devitt back up with him, before Yuta caught Devitt with a stiff forearm shot to the face. Devitt looked to be out on his feet for a moment, before Devitt fired back with an equally brutal looking and brutal sounding forearm. Devitt fired back with multiple forearm strikes to Yuta, before charging up and going for a Rolling Elbow, but Yuta ducked it, before lifting Devitt up onto the ropes, and driving him to the mat with a Dragon Screw Neck Whip! Devitt held his neck, as Yuta lifted him back up to his feet, and drove him into the mat with a back suplex!

Yuta dragged Devitt back up again, and once again went for Sliced Bread, but Devitt kicked Yuta’s bad leg again, before whipping Yuta into the corner, and charging in behind him, catching Yuta with a chop block, dropping Yuta to his knees and causing Yuta to land with his face on the second turnbuckle. Devitt kicked the buckle up into Yuta’s face, causing Yuta to be sent staggering backwards, stunned. Devitt then picked one of Yuta’s legs again, trapping it and grapevining it as he took Yuta down, locking in an STF! Devitt wrenched back on the hold, putting a great deal of pressure back on both Yuta’s back and his leg! Yuta tried dragging himself towards the ropes as referee Bryce Remsburg asked him if he wanted to quit, Yuta refusing to do so as he continued to drag himself to the ropes!

Yuta continued to scratch and claw the entire way to the ropes, until he finally got there, forcing a rope break! Once again, Devitt kept the hold on until 4, before releasing the hold at the last possible second he could without being disqualified. Devitt was clearly frustrated, but he couldn’t get caught up in his feelings here. Devitt had to stay in the fight. Yuta pulled himself to the outside on the apron, and started to use the ropes to help himself get up. Just as he did though, Devitt came charging in and knocked Yuta off the apron with a running dropkick! Yuta landed on his feet, but as he stuck the landing and turned around, still favoring that leg, Prince came flying through the ropes, taking Yuta out with a Somersault Plancha! Prince launched himself with the force of a cannonball, and sent both Yuta and himself crashing into the barricade! Prince quickly got back to his feet, holding his neck, and looking down at Yuta with nothing but malice in his eyes. Prince lifted Yuta back up, before crotching Yuta on the steel guardrail, and chopping him in the chest to stun him. 

Prince then climbed back up onto the apron, and shouted for some of the fans who were still straggling in the front row to move. Once they did, Prince charged and leaped off the apron, crashing into Yuta with a dropkick that sent him careening off the guardrail, and into the chairs! Yuta may have been out cold, but even if he wasn’t, that had to hurt! Prince dragged Yuta back over the guardrail, and towards the ring. Prince pulled Yuta up onto the apron by his hair, despite the ref demanding that Prince get off of his hair. Prince then lifted Yuta up, before spiking him down right on the apron with a Bloody Sunday! Bloody Sunday on the hardest part of the ring! 

Prince rolled Yuta back inside, and went for a cover! 

1….2… Kickout!

Yuta stays alive again! Wheeler Yuta was still in this fight! Devitt was beginning to grow frustrated, and huffed as he lifted Wheeler Yuta back up to his feet. He dragged Yuta up, and held him there for a moment, looking into his eyes, before Devitt allowed a huge grin to spread across his features. Devitt then turned and clutched Yuta’s head, as if he was going to go for a Sliced Bread of his own, and sure enough, Devitt leaped up and attempted to go for the standing variation of a Tombstone Clutch, but Yuta, one of the moves great innovates, naturally had a counter for it, pulling Devitt down into a modified stunner! Devitt popped up in a daze, and staggered around for a few moments before Yuta grabbed him and drove him into the mat head first with Piledriver! Transitioning right over from spiking Devitt on the top of his head, Yuta quickly locked in the Yuta Lock in the middle of the ring! Yuta has it locked it, and it looks like the championship reign of Prince Devitt may be over before it truly begins! 

Yuta wrenches back on the hold, but as Prince Devitt reaches wildly for the ropes, he suddenly finds Yuta’s eyes, and begins sinking his fingers into them, gouging Yuta’s eyes until Wheeler Yuta releases the hold! Yuta gets up, clutching his eyes, as Devitt grabs him, and plants him with a SECOND Bloody Sunday! Devitt floats over for the cover!

1….2…3!

“Here is your winner, and STILL MPW World Champion, Prince Devitt!” 

Devitt resorts to his cheating ways, and once again retains the MPW World Championship because of them. Next week, we turn the reigns over to Lacey Karmens for a week, as they present: Trial of Karma, live from San Francisco! We’ll see you there, goodnight everyone!