#impact wrestling uk tour

[motorcitygem]

I’m back from the week hiatus to say I can’t WAIT FOR THIS THURSDAY getting to see MCMG both as champs in person 😭🩷🩷🩷🩷 this is so cool honestly I can’t wait and I won’t be able to stfu

[allabouttenille]

𝓐 𝓽𝓻𝓲𝓹 𝓭𝓸𝔀𝓷 𝓜𝓮𝓶𝓸𝓻𝔂 𝓛𝓪𝓷𝓮

Impact Wrestling

October 26th 2023

“Okay, we’ve got Turning Point coming up and I was thinking, we could do an open challenge for our first defense! What do you think?” An obviously excited Tenille Dashwood asks as she approaches Deonna Purrazzo backstage in the impact zone. With her newly won Knockouts World Tag Team Championship belt in hand, Dashwood is having a difficult time in deciding what she wants to look at more. Her partner who she is speaking to, or her championship belt. Ultimately, she manages to drag her eyes away from the belt to get the response from Purrazzo.“I like the enthusiasm, but… I’ve already agreed to matches for Turning Point. On your behalf too.” Purrazzo explains, not exactly having any sympathy for the fact that she just shattered Dashwood’s plans.

“Again? That’s like, five times now? Why do they never ask me, it’s not like I’m hard to find!” Dashwood complains, referring to how often Purrazzo is consulted on matches for the duo compared to how often she gets consulted. “You’re not the easiest person to talk to for very long…” Never one to spare somebodies feelings, Purrazzo quickly explains why Dashwood is so rarely consulted. Most people can’t stand being around her. “I’m incredibly easy to talk to and very friendly to everybody, but whatever. Who are we beating?” Dashwood claims, clearly disagreeing but making sure to change the subject before Purrazzo can provide what could easily be a mountain of proof.

“You will be in singles action, against Dani Luna. She hits hard, but you got this. Just try not to tap out.” Purrazzo smugly responds, getting a little jab in about Dashwood’s less than impressive singles record since her return to Impact. “Really? You’re gonna bring that up?” Not at all amused, Dashwood simply glares at her partner, not seeing the funny side. “It’s every singles match!” Purrazzo throws her arms out, having tried to help Dashwood in the past, but it’s obviously an issue that doesn’t have an easy fix for the Australian. “Fine. Whatever. Dani Luna. No problem. I can deal with that. Never faced her before, but I’ll figure it out. Who are you facing?” Once again Dashwood changes the subject before Purrazzo can argue, but the Virtuosa isn’t exactly forthcoming this time.

“Yeah… about that…” Purrazzo begins, but quickly trails off before she can finish. “What? Don’t tell me you’re not going!” Dashwood lowers her title belt for the first time, not at all a fan of the idea of traveling to the UK tour by herself. “I am going. And I’m wrestling… Against Trinity.” Purrazzo explains, obviously avoiding eye contact as Dashwood raises her eyebrows in surprise. Obviously, one of them got a much bigger match than the other. “Trinity.” Dashwood repeats, wanting to make sure that she didn’t mishear her partner. “For the Knockouts title.” Purrazzo confirms as Dashwood shakes her head and looks away for a couple of seconds, taking the chance to collect her thoughts.

“For the Knockouts title. Well, that’s going to make things incredibly awkward.” Dashwood responds, shaking her head again as she lets out a sigh this time, drawing the defensive side of Purrazzo to the forefront. “How? You don’t think I can beat her?” Purrazzo quickly steps up, ready to fight if needed despite the fact that the duo are partners. “Oh, I know you can beat her. I meant how awkward it’s going to be to be tag team champions… when I beat you for that title in a few weeks time.” Dashwood smugly responds, figuring out the perfect way to get under Purrazzo’s skin. Or so the Australian thinks.

“Need I remind you what happened the last time we faced each other?” Purrazzo asks with a smug expression on her own face now. But Dashwood isn’t going to take defeat that easily “That doesn’t count.” Dashwood casually waves it off, deciding the defeat on her return to Impact against Purrazzo doesn’t count for some reason. “What about the time before that.” Purrazzo enquires, folding her arms across her chest, waiting to hear the next excuse. “I don’t recall.” Knowing that one was also a loss, Dashwood again chooses not to verify the result of the match. Her plan obviously not working as intended. “Or the time before that?” Not content with a small victory, Purrazzo makes sure to rub in the fact that it has been an incredibly long time since the Australian last emerged victorious when they did battle. Shaking her head again, Dashwood readjusts the title on her shoulder and turns to walk off. “Forget it. Let’s just get a move on. We’ve got a trip to prepare for.”

[scotwresnet]

IMPACT Wrestling Gut Check Returns For UK Tour – With Developmental Contract For The Winners

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[scottish-wrestling-network]

IMPACT Wrestling Gut Check Returns For UK Tour – With Developmental Contract For The Winners

Continue reading Untitled

[anthonysstupiddailyblog]

Anthony's Stupid Daily Blog (489): Wed 19th Jul 2023

I saw on Twitter that someone had gotten into a spat with Vince Russo. Russo was contending that he had never booked a bra and panties match kn his entire career. However this Twitter user was pointing tho the fact that Sable and Luna Vachon once wrestled in a tuxedo match where the object was to strip your opponent down to their underwear AKA a bra and panties match. Russo stood his ground and said that a tuxedo match and a bra and panties match are different things (they’re not they’re just called different things) and that this particular tuxedo match was part of a story severe Sable was looking to humiliate Luna for stripping her clothes off at the Slammy Awards. I pointed out that it’s strange that out of all the people on the roster Russo just happened to choose a woman he felt was the hottest looking woman in the company to participate in this story. Weird how he never booked Mankind to strip the Undertaker down to his underwear to humiliate him. I also pointed out that if Luna really wanted to humiliate Sable she’d have made her wrestle a match that had to last at least six minutes and couldn’t have any run ins or a fuck finish. She’d be bright red after her first arm drag On the subject of wrestling (though Vince Russo probably wouldn’t consider people wrestling in a wrestling ring to be wrestling) impact have announced that they are coming to the UK for a tour and one of the shows will be in Newcastle! Holy fuck WWE, AEW and Impact all in the same year? I’m definitely going to have to grab myself a ticket for this bad boy because I was huge impact fan before they brought in Russo and then became a huge fan again after they got rid of Russo (what a huge coincidence right?) and isthmus would be wrong not to go to at least one event put on by the company that reignited my passion for wrestling in the early 200s when I started to grow dissatisfied with what WWE were doing.

[cavenewstimes]

Impact Wrestling Announces UK Tour

Feedzy Read More  By /July 27, 2023 1:44 pm EST AEW isn’t the only wrestling company gearing up to make the transatlantic journey to the United Kingdom. Impact Wrestling has announced that the company will return to the UK for the first time since 2016, making stops in three cities from October 26-28, including Glasgow, Scotland, Newcastle, England, and Coventry, England. Not only is Impact…

[angrymarks]

PR: IMPACT Wrestling Announces Multi-City UK Invasion Tour For October 2023

http://dlvr.it/Ssq2vB

[xtruss]

‘Before A Game I Down A Nice Vodka To Tone My Muscles’: How The Russian ‘Black Spider’ Took Football To New Heights

Lev Yashin remains revered as a benchmark of goalkeeping excellence

— March 19, 2023 |RT

The World of Football was cast into mourning last December with the passing of Pele, one of the undisputed greats of the game. The death of the Brazilian legend led to tributes from far and wide, as fans reflected on the impact of a man who changed the face of his sport.

Russia was no exception, and the men’s national team paid its respects by sharing a poignant image of a smiling Pele. But alongside the legendary forward was another man who earned revered status as part of the same generation – the late, great Lev Yashin.

While Pele made his name scoring goals, Yashin forged his reputation by preventing them. A shot-stopper unlike any who had come before him, the Russian remains a benchmark for goalkeeping brilliance, more than 50 years after he played his last game and over three decades after his death.

If Pele would be selected to spearhead the attack in many football fans’ all-time fantasy eleven, the name widely picked in goal would surely be Yashin.

Nicknamed ‘The Black Spider’, ‘The Black Octopus’, and ‘The Black Panther’ because of his feats of acrobatics and the color of his on-pitch attire – topped off with a trademark flat cap – Yashin was a pioneer as an imposing Soviet shot-stopper who enjoyed a storied 20-year career.

Such was his renown, Yashin gives his name to the title annually bestowed on the world’s best goalkeeper by the respected France Football magazine.

Monday, March 20, marks 33 years since Yashin’s passing at the age of 60, and will be a day when many reflect on the remarkable life and times of Russia’s greatest football idol.

The Russian national team paid tribute to Pele alongside a legend of their own. © Twitter/Russian National Football Team

Working Class Hero

Born in Moscow on October 22, 1929, into a family of industrial workers, Yashin did not seem destined for footballing immortality. He was not yet a teenager when he started his own factory labors, helping the Russian effort during World War II. Yashin continued his factory work after the war, but suffered what was described as a “nervous breakdown” at age 18 as the experience took its toll.

“Was it depression? I don’t know,” Yashin wrote in his autobiography. “The fatigue accumulated over the years began to make itself felt and something in me suddenly broke. At that time I felt nothing except emptiness.”

Sport, however, was to be a vital outlet and would open up new opportunities for the young Yashin. Already a keen football and ice hockey player, he was advised by a teammate to volunteer for military service, something which he described as his “salvation” as he combined football with his new duties.

After being scouted in 1949, Yashin was invited to join the youth ranks of Dynamo Moscow – one of the Russian capital’s powerhouse football clubs, which had caused a stir with a groundbreaking tour of the UK in 1945 during which the team impressively went unbeaten in four games against supposedly superior home opposition.

Yashin, however, was not to enjoy an auspicious start when he made his debut for Dynamo in 1950, letting in a soft goal that partly contributed to him only playing two league games that year. Also in his way was Alexei ‘Tiger’ Khomich, a revered figure who would keep Yashin out of the team during the early part of his career.

Rather than seek a pathway to regular first-team football elsewhere, Yashin became hellbent on making it to the top at Dynamo. He even played as a goaltender for Dynamo’s ice hockey team, winning the Soviet Cup in 1953, showing his versatility as an all-round athlete.

“I ran, did the high jump, shot put, discus, took fencing lessons, had a go at boxing, diving, wrestling, skating, tried basketball, played ice hockey, water polo, and football. I spent my winters on skis and skates. I’m not sure what I was best at,” Yashin later recalled.

Hitting The Big Time

Biding his time with his football career, Yashin finally managed to oust Khomich from the Dynamo starting eleven when the latter was injured in 1953. Yashin was to make the position his own, embarking on a glittering era for Dynamo which would ultimately yield five Soviet league titles – four of which came between 1954-59 – and three Soviet Cups.

Yashin’s initial success at Dynamo meant the Soviet national team soon came calling. He received his first international call-up in 1954 in a 7-0 win against Sweden, with the next four years truly providing his breakthrough to the big time with glory at Dynamo and gold with the USSR at the 1956 Olympics.

Yashin became a legend at Dynamo Moscow. © RIA Novosti

In 1958, an even bigger football audience took note of Yashin at the World Cup in Sweden. His ‘sweepers-keeper’ approach – since popularized again by the likes of Manuel Neuer, Alisson, and Marc-Andre ter Stegen – came to the forefront, as did his ability to read the game.

Yashin crossed paths with a 17-year-old Pele and eventual champions Brazil in the group stage. Though the Selecao won 2-0, Yashin limited the South Americans’ account from growing through a string of top saves.

The USSR crashed out in the quarterfinals against the hosts, but Yashin was voted goalkeeper of the tournament, with journalists worldwide hailing him as the best in the game.

Yashin pictured with Brazilian great Pele in 1965. © Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images

Two years later, he made up for heartache in Scandinavia by leading the Soviets to the title at the inaugural European Championships in France. The tournament in 1960 was then known as the European Nations Cup, and Yashin kept a clean sheet in the semifinal as the Soviet Union beat Czechoslovakia 3-0.

In the final at the Parc des Princes against Yugoslavia, Yashin saved two free-kicks before being beaten by a deflected shot that connected with his captain Igor Netto. In extra time, Yashin made vital interventions as Yugoslavia tried to equalize Viktor Ponedelnik's 113th-minute winner.

The celebrations were relatively tame in Paris, with runner-up Dragan Sekularac claiming that the “crowds in France wanted western European glamor, not mysterious teams from the other side of Europe” as he commented on the sparse attendance at a reception held at the Eiffel Tower. But upon their return to Moscow, the Soviet team was celebrated like heroes by over 100,000 of their compatriots at a victory parade held in the Central Lenin Stadium (now known as Luzhniki).

Bouncing Back

Yashin’s heroics in Paris were the glory before a fall. At the 1962 World Cup, his errors against Colombia resulted in the game ending 4-4 before the highly fancied Soviets were eliminated at the quarterfinal stage once more by falling to hosts Chile 2-1.

“I was in disbelief that I’d scored past the great Lev Yashin,” Eladio Rojas, who embraced the ‘keeper instead of his teammates, said years later. “I still am. I was overcome with excitement that all I wanted to do was hug him. Scoring past Yashin was like a trophy.”

Yashin was made the scapegoat for the exit in Arica and was branded a “fading force” by L’Equipe. He would likely have been mentally tortured by Rojas and his blunders against Colombia, once posing: “What kind of a goalkeeper is one who is not tormented by a goal he has conceded?”

“He must be tormented! And if he is calm, that means the end. No matter what he had in the past, he has no future,” added Yashin, of whom it was later revealed had suffered a concussion in the match against Chile.

As all greats do, Yashin made a comeback for the ages by first leading Dynamo to another league title in 1963 and becoming the first and only goalkeeper ever to claim France Football’s Ballon d’Or for the best player in Europe. Yashin credited the spectacular saves he made during an England versus Rest of the World match at Wembley, where Pele was mysteriously absent, with prolonging his career and earning him the award months after the 2-1 loss in a game to mark 100 years of the English Football Association.

Yashin pounces on the ball during a match between England and a Rest of the World XI at Wembley in 1963. © Dennis Oulds/Central Press/Getty Images

Considering it to be his greatest achievement at the time, Yashin officially received his Ballon d’Or ahead of a European Championship quarterfinal second leg against Sweden in May 1964, in a match the USSR won 3-1 in front of around 100,000 fans in Moscow. The Soviets would go on to reach the final of the tournament in Spain, but were edged out 2-1 by the hosts in Madrid.

Yashin’s international journey continued at the 1966 World Cup in England, though he missed the first two matches due to injury. After returning to action, he led the Soviets to a best-ever fourth place finish following a semifinal loss to West Germany.

Hanging-up His Gloves

Completing two decades of loyal service to Dynamo and over a decade-and-a-half to his country, Yashin hung up his gloves in 1970 after traveling to his final World Cup in Mexico, where he acted as an assistant coach and third-choice back-up.

“I don’t know if one man has ever meant so much to one club,” said former Dynamo teammate Igor Chislenko, who along with Yashin was a rare breed as a one-club man.

But Yashin meant more to football than simply his allegiances to one club or country. At his testimonial in 1971, 103,000 fans reportedly turned out to see him play for Dynamo one last time against a European team captained by England and Manchester United legend Bobby Charlton.

Yashin became a football icon in Russia and far beyond. © Brennard/Mirrorpix/Getty Images

Pele and Eusebio were also present, and joined the throngs of respected figures that spoke with reverence of a man who bowed out after setting a record of more than 150 penalty saves (“the joy of seeing Yuri Gagarin flying in space is only superseded by the joy of a good penalty save,” Yashin once said) and keeping around 275 clean sheets.

“Someone once said that a team with Pele started [a game] with a 1-0 lead. A team with Yashin started winning 2-0,” Pele explained.

“He made me as a footballer. When you’re able to score against the greatest goalkeeper in the history of world football, you remember it for your whole life. You realize that you can score against anyone,” said Portuguese great Eusebio.

Yashin leads the USSR team out at the 1966 World Cup in England. © PA Images via Getty Images

England’s 1966 World Cup winner Gordon Banks, regarded as one of the greatest shot-stoppers of all time, likewise hailed his Russian counterpart. “Lev Yashin was first-class, a real super goalkeeper. Everything he did was top-class. He was the model for goalkeeping for the next ten to 15 years,” Banks said.

“I visualized myself doing some of the things he was doing. Even though I was already playing in the top division, I used to learn from him.”

One of a Kind

France Football agreed with Yashin’s undoubted influence, saying that he “revolutionized the role of goalkeeper like no other before him by always being ready to act as an extra defender,” and by “starting dangerous counter-attacks with his positioning and quick throws” after demonstrating his prowess through plucking crosses out of the sky.

One of the original ‘sweepers-keepers’, he was also renowned for commanding from the back, bellowing instructions to teammates while often out of his area and taking part in build-ups. He could expertly read the game, anticipating the opposition striker’s movement and where his shot was destined, and his long arms earned him the nickname ‘the Black Spider’ while helping him reach top-corner shots. Despite his somewhat lanky 6ft 2in frame, Yashin was known as agile and athletic.

Yashin making a trademark acrobatic save at the 1966 World Cup. © BIPPA/Central Press/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

The same France Football magazine which handed Yashin the Ballon d’Or in 1963 and named its goalkeeping award after him unsurprisingly picked the Russian in its all-time Dream Team in 2020. In November 2003, to mark UEFA’s jubilee, the Russian Football Union selected him as its most outstanding player of the last 50 years to compliment the Order of Lenin award he received in 1967 for his outstanding services to his country and people.

Yashin was a man of the people who fans always called by his first name, said his successor at Dynamo, Vladimir Pilguy. “To them, he was one of them like a brother or a friend. He used to walk home from matches with masses of fans – he’d let them carry his sports bag,” Pilguy added.

Yashin takes a tour of the Dynamo Stadium in 1989, at a match played in honor of his 60th birthday. © RIA Novosti/Vladimir Rodionov

Yet contrary to belief, Yashin wasn’t always the model pro that people thought. “My secret? Before a game I would smoke a cigarette to calm my nerves and down a nice vodka to tone my muscles,” he once revealed.

Despite his achievements, Yashin reportedly fell out with Dynamo in his later years, and in particular with chairman Piotr Bogdanov who boasted political clout that allegedly made Yashin unable to leave the country due to routine refusals to grant his wife a visa.

Monuments To an Icon

Nonetheless, Yashin remains a revered figure at the club. Its stadium is known as the VTB Arena for sponsorship purposes, but also bears Yashin’s name and his statue can be found outside it. Dynamo’s players wore a retro kit to honor him on would have been his 92nd birthday in 2021 and continued the tradition in 2022. In 2019, Yashin’s heroics were brought to a new generation in the form of a film based on his life, ‘Lev Yashin: Dream Goalkeeper’.

Dynamo Moscow fans unveil a banner in Yashin's honor at a match in 2019. © RIA Novosti/Vladimir Fedorenko

Yashin, sadly, has not been around to witness many such tributes to his career. In 1986, a blood clot he suffered in his leg required it to be amputated, before he passed away in 1990 from stomach cancer complications at the age of 60, with his wife and two daughters by his side.

It was during a European Cup match between Dnipro and Benfica in the Meteor Stadium that Yashin’s death was announced, reportedly bringing tears to the eyes of Portuguese icon Eusebio, who traveled as part of the Lisbon club’s delegation.

The striker, who is himself known as an all-time great of the game, called Yashin “the peerless goalkeeper of the century.” Many would find that hard to dispute, not only due to Yashin’s team and personal accolades, but also the sheer influence he had in his position.

In the pantheon of football icons, the Russian would surely lay claim to the number one shirt.

[motorcitygem]

TOMORROW IS THE DAY

[renee-ckstrong]

Award Eight: The Kaz Award for being a really cool, quite admirable, stand up guy

OK well you can guess who this about because of who I named it after. But I really need an excuse to talk about how great Kaz is.

Award goes to: Frankie Kazarian

Okay so I went to the IMPACT UK tour in Coventry. Opener was Kaz vs Leon Slater and the main event was supposed to be MCMG vs Subculture vs Eric Young and Josh Alexander. I couldn't wait to see Shelly and Sabin live, but unfortunately Alex Shelly got injured before the event. He was replaced in the match by Frankie Kazarian who had already wrestled in the opener and I commend the man for stepping up and putting his body on the line for the sake of my entertainment.

Thank you Kaz

Under no authority but my own, I'm going to five out end of year wrestling awards.

Award one: Wrestler of the year

Self explanatory but this aware is coming from an entertainment perspective as well as in ring. Who made me want to tune in each and every week?

Award goes to: Athena

In addition to being the best Women's wrestling in the West and one of the best in the world, she's also really funny. There is no wrestler I've enjoyed being on my screen more than Athena this year, so I believe there is no person more deserving of receiving my 2023 wrestler of the year award.

[officialotakudome]

New Post has been published on Otaku Dome | The Latest News In Anime, Manga, Gaming, Tech, and Geek Culture

New Post has been published on https://otakudome.com/aew-rampage-was-a-rare-pro-wrestling-surprise/

AEW Rampage Was a Rare Pro Wrestling Surprise

AEW made it’s formal conception on January 1, 2019 and has since been making a number of accomplishments since. Including sold out shows, record merch sales, signing major stars, and  breaking one million viewers semi-regularly just to name a few. As we come to closing out the year AEW is looking to continue the highs they’ve been receiving in 2021 with the debut of their second televised program AEW Rampage. An hour series that will act as an equal to it’s sister program AEW Dynamite. And with the show they put on for night one that promise has so far already been kept.

AEW Rampage is a 2021 pro wrestling series produced by AEW & WarnerMedia. It currently airs Fridays at 9:00 AM Central on TNT. 

Editor’s Note: Spoilers for the debut episode of AEW Rampage and potential spoilers for the second episode may be present within this review.

AEW Rampage opened with an amazing match and a shock finish.

Kenny Omega (c) vs Christian Cage for the Impact World Championship:

In the opening (and first ever) contest of AEW Rampage, AEW featured a historic moment in which the Impact World Championship was defended for the very first time on another national wrestling promotion’s television program. AEW, Impact, and AAA World Champion Kenny Omega defended against challenger Christian Cage in a bit of a preview to their upcoming All Out main event match for the AEW World Championship. First just wanted to point out that the Pittsburg crowd was HOT for this show from start to finish. It really goes to show that if you give your audience a bit of respect they often respond in kind. Which is a polar opposite to a lot of WWE crowds who often attack the shows with obnoxious chants such as “What!?” & “CM PUNK!”. But WWE often shows little respect to their audience so it can be a bit forgiven.

Omega and Cage are both rather high level in-ring performers, especially the latter at age 47. AEW typically has their best matches open and close their shows and this philosophy continued on the debut of Rampage. Most of the offense surprisingly came from Christian who was really showing out against Omega who was mainly selling everything. At one point in the match Christian hit Omega with a Spear and had a cool near fall. Finish saw the Young Bucks coming out while Don distracted a ref and they handed Kenny a chair. As Omega was preparing for the One-Winged Angel, Christian turned the tides with a Killswitch on the very chair Omega had prepared for a three count. Omega sold the Killswitch like he was shot and Jungle Boy & Luchasaurus join Cage for the post-match celebration.

Winner AND NEW Impact World Champion Christian Cage: **** 1/2 stars

Beloved jobber Fuego del Sol gained a life changing victory in defeat.

Following the commercial break with get Mark Henry interviewing Cage with Jungle Boy & Luchasaurus having A Little Bit of the Bubbly. Cage said Kenny caused him to bring everything he had and felt he wasn’t going to win. He then states that if he gave him so much trouble for the Impact title it’ll be next to impossible for him to win the AEW title, but the victory has Cage in Omega’s head. Next match is God’s Favorite Champion Miro taking on everybody’s favorite jobber Fuego del Sol for the TNT Championship. If Sol wins he’ll be signed to an AEW contract.

Fuego del Sol vs Miro (c) for the TNT Championship:

If you’re even remotely apart of AEW’s social media circles you’ve probably heard of the rise of Fuego del Sol fka Kage. Sol began wrestling in a trampoline fed on Youtube prior to pursing his dreams on the independent circuit. Fuego; real life best friend of rising AEW star Sammy Guevara found his way to the promotion through recommendation working AEW Dark during their stay at Daily’s Place during the pandemic. Fuego also had a starring role in Guevara’s vlog entitled “Sammy’s Vlog” in which he films & documents his & his friends & co-workers’ real lives and careers as a professional wrestlers. Fuego became a fan-favorite due to his likable personality and optimism. AEW took notice of Fuego’s skyrocketing popularity and often had him featured on Dark and occasionally on flagship series Dynamite. The running gag of Sammy’s Vlog was Fuego’s real-life quest for a contract despite his losing streak and the fact that he also worked at Burger King to support his family while on PPA (pay per appearances) bookings with AEW.

Sammy stated many times that the goal of his vlog was to help his friends and guests to establish a gimmick, place to explore personality, and an opportunity to reach an audience basically to help wrestlers get over. And it’s kind of poetic that Fuego is one of the first to truly accomplish those goals. Fuego is now a hit on social media with many of his tweets gaining five digit numbers in likes something that’s rather unheard of from someone who’s had no real presence in the WWE. Now that we’ve gotten to the background of Fuego and the importance of this storyline (apologies for being so long winded about it) we can move on to the match itself. 

This was more or less a squash match, but the point was to get Fuego over in front of a big crowd. As the match began Fuego showed his bravery by hitting Miro with a variation of the Tornado DDT his finishing move of which he is the master. Fuego goes for a pin but only got a one count, he follows up with a second Tornado DDT as the crowd goes ballistic in cheers and Miro wisely rolls out of the ring. Commentary reminds people at home that if Fuego wins via count out he may not win the title but he will in fact still win the AEW contract. Miro unfortunately gets back into the ring at nine only to be hit with THIRD Tornado DDT at this stage the crowd is all over Fuego. He goes for a pin, but gets a very close near fall. As Miro recovers he nails Fuego with the Bulgarian Drop & Thrust Kick followed by the Game Over submission for the win.

Winner and still AEW TNT Champion Miro: *** stars

AEW Women’s World Champion returned to Brittsburg in the main event.

Miro celebrates and rips the contract as we head to commercial. Returning from the break Fuego recovers from his heartbreaking loss as the Pittsburg crowd gives him a standing ovation for his efforts. Commentary is selling the idea that this is Fuego’s final official appearance in AEW as they’re back on a touring schedule. Suddenly, Sammy Guevara’s music hits and he appears (briefly) with Tony Khan who hands him a mic and clipboard. Sammy tells Fuego that despite losing he may have still won. Reminding him of his disappointing win-loss record, he tells him it doesn’t matter as the fans and the wrestlers in the back all love him. Realizing what’s about to go down Fuego starts ugly crying as Sammy tells Fuego that Tony Khan wanted himself as his best friend to inform him that as of tonight he is officially All Elite and the crowd goes nuts. In an interview with Sports Illustrated Tony Khan stated that this was 100% shoot and that only Sammy knew Fuego was getting signed regardless of his loss. If you’ve followed Fuego’s journey from the beginning or middle where he made his AEW it really shows that anyone can get themselves over if they work hard enough and have the right platform. Contrastingly, in WWE if you get over without being their chosen guy or gal you’re punished for it being viewed as “having gone into business for yourself”. A testament to this is the infamous rise of Matt Cardona fka Zach Ryder who rose to fame with his “Z! True Long Island Story” Youtube series and had a fundamental role in teaching pro wrestlers to use the internet and social media to work for themselves to get over and would go on to inspire shows such as BTE (Being the Elite) & Sammy’s Vlog.

Cardona would regularly embarrassed and buried on WWE TV after a pity run with the WWE United States Championship rarely finding success beyond point for the remainder of his run in the promotion. Reports stated that morale among talent hit a record low, Cardona’s best friend Impact Wrestling star Brian Myers was also quoted as saying WWE “would hold “brass ring” pep talks every WrestleMania that suddenly stopped once Cardona got over”. So in short, unless you’re their flavor of the week/month/year WWE won’t take it kindly if you work hard and gain a following without their say. Whereas AEW (and virtually every other promotion ever) will do the compete opposite and show support, but enough of the rant it’s time for the main event.

Red Velvet vs Dr. Britt Baker D.M.D for the AEW Women’s World Championship:

Fuego wasn’t the only new signee of the night.

As the match starts Velvet is understandingly thrown off by the boos. More confusingly Velvet is working as a babyface for much of the match, rectifies this when she begins working Britt’s wrist. Obviously, Britt is the heel, but for the sake if the circumstances I’m glad Velvet played into being the baddie for the night. Also can I just say how crazy it’s been seeing Red Velvet grow as an in ring performer? I’ve seen her since her debut on Dark and basically followed through since her debut on Dynamite with Cody against Jade Cargill and Shaq. She’s still fairly fresh and young as a worker, but has really shown off her potential especially here. Lots of back and forth offense from Britt and Red. The finish saw Britt attempting the Lockjaw with the hurt wrist, but once Velvet escapes she brilliantly reverses it with her opposite arm for the submission. 

Winner and still AEW Women’s World Champion Britt Baker: **** stars

While Britt celebrates she beats down Velvet who comes back only to be beat down again by the returning Jamie Hayter with a new look. Hayter had a bit run on AEW Dark & NXT UK prior to her return as a full-time AEW talent. Britt had been hinting that she was opening up a bodyguard position and Hayter will fit that role moving forward. AEW Rampage’s debut was an extremely strong show with fantastic matches and excellent storytelling. This Friday is surprisingly going to be even more important, as unless you’ve been living under a rock “The First Dance” in the United Center will be the host of the long-awaited return of CM Punk to pro wrestling and not as an analyst as an in-ring talent. AEW and Punk himself are barely trying to throw fans off of what is undoubtedly going to be a legendary moment for them in their short time alive. 2021 has been very good to AEW and pro wrestling as a whole and it’s not slowing down anytime soon. AEW gives AEW Rampage’s debut episode an 80 out of 100.

[wrestlingisfake]

According to Dave Meltzer, the AEW/NJPW working relationship is now locked in, and will go beyond just co-promoting the Jon Moxley-KENTA feud.  I’m not sure if he knows that because reliable sources told him, or if he’s inferring that as the obvious conclusion about the angles on NJPW Strong and AEW Dynamite.  I’ve always found that Dave doesn’t realize there’s a need to make that distinction if he’s really sure, which is frustrating.

Dave ran down the history of AEW-NJPW relations, which was refreshingly succinct after two years of listening to him hem and haw about it.  Basically in January 2019 the Young Bucks and Chris Harrington met with New Japan officials, but the New Japan side didn’t take AEW seriously and insisted on meeting with Tony Khan rather than his lieutenants.  So they “big-leagued” they AEW side, which led to hard feelings all around.  What sped up the thaw is Jon Moxley, in that the pandemic made it difficult/impossible for New Japan to book him without asking Tony Khan to do them a favor.

To review the Moxley situation: After leaving WWE he signed separate contracts with both AEW and NJPW.  The only restriction is that his AEW deal prohibits him from working on NJPW shows in the US, unless AEW clears it.  Once the pandemic travel restrictions hit, Moxley couldn’t work even one NJPW date in Japan without taking weeks off from AEW, which was a big thing to ask from Tony Khan.  The only workaround was for Mox to do a show in NJPW’s LA Dojo, but he’d need Tony’s approval for that too.  Evidently, New Japan wanted Moxley badly enough to cut a deal, which presumably gave AEW a ton of leverage.  If it all works out, Jon Moxley’s departure from WWE may prove to be one of the most pivotal moments in modern pro wrestling history.

Meltzer isn’t expecting a lot of tippy-toppy New Japan guys to spend any substantial time in AEW this year, because of the travel issues.  (Kenta lives in Orlando, so he’s an exception.)  I’m not so sure.  Granted, you shouldn’t hold your breath for Kazuchika Okada or Hiromu Takahashi showing up on Dynamite.  But I’m not thinking it’s a huge sacrifice if, say, Tomohiro Ishii or Minoru Suzuki would skip one of the Japanese tours to work six weeks in Florida.  The AEW/Impact crossover has already shown that less is more when it comes to actually exchanging talent.

One immediate consequence is that the New Beginning USA show on February 26 could end up being a melting pot of wrestling promotions.  Aside from Moxley (AEW) vs. Kenta (NJPW), I’d expect to see Tom Lawlor (MLW), Brody King (ROH), TJP (Impact), Lio Rush (MLW), and Bateman (ROH).  I don’t even know how the promotions in Mexico and the UK will figure into all this changing landscape, but it probably won’t matter until the pandemic is over.

[scotwresnet]

IMPACT Wrestling UK Invasion Tour 2023: Full Roster and Titanium Ticket Package Perks Announced

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[scottish-wrestling-network]

IMPACT Wrestling UK Invasion Tour 2023: Full Roster and Titanium Ticket Package Perks Announced

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[thehillhurricane]

pPlease welcome to the podcast the talented and beautiful All Elite Wrestling (AEW) Women's Superstar Amber Nova, a Pro Wrestling American Muscle Mechanic. Born in New Jersey now residing in Florida, Amber's love for pro wrestling began with her father going to watch WWE events. She moved to Florida to pursue her career and was trained by Lince Dorado, Hector Guerrero, Matt Sydal, Ivelisse Velez, Loki, Josh Woods. She got her first break working with Impact Wrestling then a year later was appearing on WWE NXT, her first match was against current Women's WWE Champion Nikki Cross. 2019 Amber did tours of the UK, South Africa and Panama and is the current NWA Women's Champion.  @ambernova73/ppa href='https://tellcraigyourstory.podbean.com/'https://tellcraigyourstory.podbean.com/a/ppa href='https://www.linktr.ee/tellcraigyourstory/'https://www.linktr.ee/tellcraigyourstory/a/pp@tellcraigyourstory/ppYoutube Channel a href='https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcCr6P3Ja395SkapnECvOFw?view_as=subscriber'https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcCr6P3Ja395SkapnECvOFw?view_as=subscriber/a/pp#ambernova #amberflora #tellcraigyourstory #aew #dynamite #allelitewrestling #73chevynova #americanmusclemechanic #impactwrestling #wwe #nxt #london #southafrica #panama #florida #usa #novahead #nikkicross #nwachampion #lincedorado #hectorguerrero #prowrestler #tuneup #rhearipley #newjersey #bigshow #sting #fighterfest2 /p