Vishal Gullapalli: Okay since Iām here first again I get to claim the siteās stance on Double or Nothing! Soā¦ Double or Nothing was a decent event that started way better than it finished. Iām an editor now, Charlie canāt stop me from saying this!
Charlie Davis: Vishal thatās not how things work! ANYWAY. I loved Double or Nothing save for a few very flat things. Other than that! The wrestling schedule is still screwed up this week!! Curse the NBA!
Forrest Hollingsworth: [Jungle Boy Theme Intensifies]
Double or Nothing
Hangman Adam Page v Brain Cage
Vishal: To elaborate on my immediate thoughts on Double or Nothing, I thought the first two matches set an impossibly high bar for the rest of the event to meet. Hangman vs Brian Cage was honestly the best match of the night, and I finally feel vindicated for liking Brian Cage this entire time. I told yāall he was good!
Charlie: Itās not that I didnāt think Cage was good! Itās just that I donāt think he’d had a chance to shine like this. Honestly, if there were not two other matches on the card that contained my favorite wrestlers of all time, this might have been my favorite match of the night as well. Hangman is so good. Heās so damn good. The crowd loves him still and I CANNOT wait until heās finally gunning for Kenny.
Forrest: Charlie, you just touched on something that I think needs a little more attention: Double or Nothing had a sold out crowd. I had an impulsive weariness to seeing that many unmasked people that close together (your mileage may vary), but itās also impossible to deny how energized it made the show — and Cage and Hangmanās match in particular — feel. They were there for Hangman, they made the match ending Buckshot Lariat feel like the best lariat of Adamās life, and they made the FTW infighting feel (Hook in his PPV best of a… white tank top) more weighty and tense than a lot of their other attempts have been across pre-taped Dynamites.Ā
Hangmanās cheers with a fan on the exit made it hard to imagine itās anyone but him, didnāt it?
The Young Bucks v Jon Moxley and Eddie Kingston
Vishal: The tag match was genuinely great! I think it got a little overbooked towards the end, and the finish of like 5 BTE triggers didnāt land for me like I think the Bucks and Mox wanted it to, but the match as a whole was really good babyface and heel work. Iām still hoping Mox kept his standard theme for his solo entrance music though, Wild Thing just doesnāt fit him by himself.
Charlie: Okay so this WAS match of the night for me. Go figure, right? But honestly, The Bucks always put everything out there on a PPV. From their Jordan Off Whites gear, to their terrible nasty attitudes, to them mocking The Shield. Itās so apparent that even if The Bucks didnāt change, this heel turn has invigorated them in a way I havenāt seen before. I truly believe they are doing some of the best work of their careers right now. To pair that with Mox and Eddie who got a huge ovation when they both came out was simply magic. Eddieās hot tag in after Mox had been bloodied and mocked in the ring… man oh MAN. Buckās as always, got away by the skin of their teeth.
Forrest: This might be my favorite Bucks match Iāve seen. The explosive entrance for Mox and Eddie (enjoying the largest crowd heās ever wrestled in front of, the joy on his face is infectious), the mocking of the Shield, the āDiorsday Deviceā and the way everyone threaded the needle between really silly shoe spots and legitimate tension — tons of near falls towards the end — all worked for me. JR called Rick Knox a āshoe refā.
Casino Battle Royale
Vishal: The Battle Royal was alright – as always I think AEWās not super sure how to best produce these big battle royal matches, and it only got really fun once the Joker showed up because by then most of the crowd had thinned. Happy for Jungle Boy, and I was one of the people who was really excited to see Lio Rush.
Forrest: Which Joker, Vishal, because by my count there were three! Really weird, hilarious choice to let 10 and Penta dress up like that when you are literally debuting someone as a āJokerā. But I do agree about Lio Rush, heās been doing the best work of his career, and some of the best work on the indies in general since his WWE release and Iām very excited to see what they do with him — he even tweeted out that he and Mark Henry (also debuting at DoN) made amends, which makes it even more difficult to hold any of his younger, rash or impulsive decisions against him in my opinion.
Charlie: I also agree, Vishal. I donāt think it has anything to do with the wrestling in the match, but the production on these big things just seems OFF. With exception of the Tag Team Battle Royal, which was one of the best executed of these that Iāve seen. Thought Christian had it in the bag, but was so so happy for Jungle Boy. I will say that this was a good barometer for how over people are and DAMN is the Dark Order over.
Forrest: I think thereās many reasons why these donāt really work: groups of wrestlers entering at the same time isnāt digestible as the Royal Rumble, the commentary team shows their relative unfamiliarity with the roster (lots of miscalls and missed names here), and the ringside production team has a surprisingly difficult time catching the smaller stories on camera.
When it gets down to the final three or four, though, it allows the artifice of the gimmick match melt away to tell a more natural story and thatās especially true with Matt Hardy, Christian and Jungle Boy. Hardy and Christian have every reason in the world to hate each other — those years of Tables, Ladders, and Chairs matches run deep — and the tension there will probably carry a pretty fantastic feud in the future (Christian gets the hand up on Hardy for a starter), but first Jungle Boy.
Heās there, heās younger and faster than either Hardy or Cage, and he needs the win, having been in the finals of every other royale to date, and then he finally gets it – not to anger, but to genuine relief and celebration. The crowd explodes and even Christian himself tells Jungle Boy that āif heās going to do it, he better do itā in his upcoming championship match with Kenny Omega before giving him a really sincere, touching hug (thatās the value of Christian by the way, when you beat him youāre beating a name that means a lot). I think Jungle Boy probably wasnāt going to win one of these until crowds were there, honestly, but that was the right call as this one just feels so good.
Cody Rhodes v Anthony Ogogo
Forrest: Haha, okay.
Charlie: I went and got a cocktail during this one c:
Miro v Lance Archer
Forrest: Big Boys! Miro and Lance had a good one, and Iām glad the TNT Title of all things didnāt change hands on PPV. The snake spot is what most people will take away from this, and rightfully so, but the bounce off the mat Miro got from Lanceās chokeslam was really something, too.
Vishal: Iām a huge mark for Miro and loved this match a lot, but I donāt have too much to say about it – I really like just how imposing he can be, even against a guy so much taller than him.
Britt Baker, D.M.D. v Hikaru Shida
Vishal: Britt and Shida are both great wrestlers and while I still think Shida got treated terribly for a champion. Iām happy for the new era both for the title and the physical belt. But honestly, I thought their match was lackluster. It reminded me of Rhea and Asukaās match at Wrestlemania – both ladies are clearly capable of more, but something just didnāt click. There was also a clear botched spot with what was supposed to be an Avalanche Death Valley Driver, it looks like they couldnāt get the positioning for it right so they audibled to something else. Whatever the case, I did end up fairly disappointed in the match, but Iām sure theyāll be able to make it up.
Charlie: This was a solid match, but it didnāt reach the heights that either one of these ladies have reached in other matches. Maybe they were rushed for time or maybe something else just didnāt click, but the match never really kicked into second gear. Vishal you mentioned the botched spot and I do think there was supposed to be some blood at some point, but alas. Either way, the crowd liked this a lot and I am so happy for Britt. I desperately want her to be a member of The Super Elite.
Forrest: I watched this one back and itās very clear that Shidaās gear is falling apart at the end. I think they probably made the call to rush the finish, skipping over getting color, more near falls, etc. out of necessity. Itās not a bad match, really, but itās a little slower and more transparent than the level both of these women usually operate at. Britt deserves the win and Iām glad to see it.
Sting and Darby Allin v Ethan Page and Scorpio Sky
Charlie: Vishal got too excited to talk about how he was disappointed in the triple threat to talk about the tag match before it! You have to give Sting his flowers here. Regardless of how you feel about him, this match ruled. Him and Darby together RULE. Ethan Page and Scorpio Sky together RULE. I loved this more than I ever, ever thought I would and itās down to just exactly how much Ethan and Darby hate each other and how much Sting cares about Darby. The moment where Sting had to contemplate throwing an injured Darby back into the ring and back into Ethanās grasp or risk count out was AMAZING. I loved this a whole bunch and I’m so glad Sting is back and doing things like this with the young guys.
Forrest: Iām our resident Ethan Page Enjoyer, but even I have to say this feels like a significant step up for him. They really played with the threat of legitimate violence in this one with spots like Ethan throwing Darby into the barricade, and thatās kind of equally thrilling and terrifying when you have a veteran like Sting in the ring. The surprise? Sting hits as hard and moves almost as fast as the younger guys here. WWE criminally underused him, and heās back to take the last years of his career into his own hands. Iām here for it, and Scorpio taking the loss hints at more Darby Vs. Ethan (no holds barred solo match please) to come. The spot where both Ethan and Darby were in holds slapping and clawing at each other was inspired, and potentially my favorite spot of the night — a lot of simple but effective storytelling here.
Vishal: Itās true, I wrote my whole thing about the main event in a haste, forgetting about this match entirely. But Iām back to chime in!
Look, Iām happy for yāall that you enjoyed this match but quite honestly every time Darby and Ethan werenāt going at each other I wasnāt able to get invested. Iām a very new wrestling fan, and because of the WWE Sting rights from back when I was a kid I didnāt know he existed because he wasnāt in the late 00s SmackDown vs Raw video games. So I legitimately have no investment in the guy, and every time I see him doing something it feels like a gimmick designed for people whoāve cared about wrestling for longer than Iāve been alive. Which isnāt a bad thing, but it feels a lot to me like Goldbergās use in recent WWE programming, albeit with a better workrate. This is really just a long-winded way for me to say that I donāt care at all about Sting, and having the match finish on him beating the person whose sole presence was so that Ethan wouldnāt take the fall was boring as hell. Darby and Ethan, though? Fantastic work and I canāt wait to see where they go from here.
Kenny Omega v PAC v Orange Cassidy
Vishal: I hate to be the downer on this main event, considering everyone I talked to after seemed to love it, but I just was really put off by the finish. Up until the literal last 5 seconds of the match, I thought it was fantastic – I was having a great time and there were genuinely so many points where I was convinced Orange or PAC had it. But thereās something about the pinfall into rollup combo that feels cheap and devaluing, and it really took a lot of the match away from me. The spot right before that of Kenny hitting PAC with all the belts was delightful, but having Aubrey come out and immediately doing a weird pin to finish the match just spoiled the whole thing for me.
Charlie: Surprise, surprise, I thought this match was amazing. And even though literally no one will believe me, itās not just because Kenny Omega was in it. It had a lot of things to do in being AEWās first singles triple threat match and it did all of them seamlessly and beautifully. It gave PAC room to be the baddest, nastiest guy in AEW, it gave Orange Cassidy room to be the coolest and most over person in the room and PROVE he deserves to always be in the title picture and it gave Kenny Omega room to show why heās the best at what he does and what he does is put people over even when heās still winning the match. Also, he continues to be the Best Bout Machine so S*CK IT. The heat Don got for almost ruining the match was incredible as all 5,000 people in Dailyās Place chanted āfuck you Donā. The finish was maybe a little wonky, but it did not break the match for me in any way. Plus, I got the Bucks almost tripping over their own feet while running to hug Kenny after the match. Bless The Super Elite. May they reign forever.
Forrest: The most important takeaway for me here is that they successfully elevated PAC and Orange to being the kind of in-ring storytellers that Kenny is. There were numerous spots here (Kenny on the outside, PAC getting the shotgun drop kicks in on Orange, or Kenny hitting referee Bryce out of desperation for example) where it legitimately felt like this was anyoneās match to win and thatās important structurally and narratively for a 5 star match — even with a 1 star finish like it had. And hey? Orange can, and will do it. Itās just a matter of time.
Stadium Stampede: The Inner Circle v The Pinnacle
Vishal: Quite honestly, the Stadium Stampede should not have closed the show. I know why it did, because that ending shot of the crowd singing Judas was clearly the point, but it was just such a tiring affair for me after a long event that I didnāt need. The Pinnacle still donāt feel like they mean anything, bar FTR who are deserving of so much more than this bland faction. The Inner Circle have teased breaking up so many times now, Iām honestly just hoping they follow through with it. Give Santana a face run!
Charlie: I am almost certain that this was for someone who was not me. Last year’s Stadium Stampede took place in conditions we can simply not replicate. A combination of a feel good moment mixed with catharsis mixed with the comedic timing of The Elite. Just lightning in a bottle that you were never going to be able to replicate. It was fun! But I would not say it was good. I really enjoyed some bits, and MJF and Jericho spilling into the crowd near the end was really great! Sammy is really great! The crowd singing Judas… extremely powerful after all weāve been through. I just… wish the triple threat had been the main event.
Forrest: I think the logic of this one was just a little incoherent for me. The idea is a no holds barred, anything goes match, sure, but all of these spots of Jericho and Shawn Spears finding weapons they hid around the arena really broke the improvisational illusion, and the prop work was shoddy at best — the wall that Hager fell through, and the weird halved pig both feeling like high school theatre props.
I liked that Sammy got the win for the IC, having been the one that left them originally and now coming back into the fold but I need to see he or Santana and Ortiz pivot into something more solo and compelling to really feel invested at this point. Shoutout to Gay FTR.
Monday: Monday Night Raw, Being The Elite
Charlie: Hello? Is there anyone here? Anyone wanna talk about Raw? No? Okay.
BTEs after PPVs are always fun because they are less heavy on story beats and more heavy on watching how the sausage gets made behind the scenes a little. We saw some fun stuff from the FanFest that looked like a blast, we saw how Kenny canonically CANNOT shoot hoops very well and the filming of their little backstage bit that rolled during Double or Nothing while Kenny was shooting hoops YET AGAIN.
The Bucks paid off Rick Knox for SOMETHING at the airport and we got to see more chaotic trick shots from Nick. Loved this one.
Forrest: I always have to shoulder the burden of talking about Raw! Ricochet broke Sheamusās nose in a pretty decent, heavy hitting match, and they continue to play with the idea of a Xavier Woods solo run that I think could be pretty successful. The potential Mansoor and Mustafa Ali team up is also intriguing, but not yet tangible enough to vouch for — especially given WWEās weirdly resurgent problem with racist narratives.
As for BTE, Charlie, I think The Bucks paid Rick off to recover their shoes from their tag match with Eddie and Mox, thereās a very notable part of that match where Mox aims to use them as a weapon but Knox takes the Air Dior away and puts it safely on the outside.
Tuesday: NXT
Vishal: Well, you know what they say – Tuesdays are the new Wednesdays. And this tuesday opened on a triple threat featuring a lovable goofball whoās also really good at wrestling, a british technical wizard, and the best wrestler in the world. What more could you ask for? The answer, of course, is Adam Cole Bay Bay! His interference in the triple threat was exciting, his promo against Kross was fantastic, and I am so excited for the fatal five-way at Takeover. Iām not expecting anything surprising – Kross will win the match, his performance carried by 4 wrestlers who are all better than him. An optimist would think theyād use the five-way as an excuse to take the belt off of Kross while protecting him to shoot him to the main roster, but honestly I just donāt believe Iām that lucky. I canāt maintain my winning outlook without accepting a few losses here and there.
Charlie: I LOVE ADAM COLE SO MUCH. But I also realize he kinda ruined what was supposed to be a fun triple threat. I feel like I canāt predict what’s gonna sour someone on a match or not, but I saw lots of people really angry that Adam caused a no contest. I am bias and think Adam is the whole damn show soā¦. (wait I think that is someone else’s gimmick)
Vishal: There was a lot of other stuff on the show but it wasā¦ not exactly the most riveting. Which is fine! Iām not expecting NXT to blow me away in every segment every week! Raquel and Ember are having a TakeOver match based on Raquel being a huge bully, Mercedes Martinez and Xia Li are having a rematch of Xia Liās first ever WWE match (which is really cool in concept), Cameron Grimes and LA Knight are continuing their feud (with Jake Atlas picking up the win on the first day of Pride, thank you corporations). The best storyline on the show, though, is still The Wayās whole thing with Dexter Lumis. Iām not someone who goes for romance in stories, like, ever, but Iām here for InDex and I look forward to their reunion.
Forrest: Justice for InDex.
Thursday: WWE Releases
Charlie: Kenny showed up on Impact to cause problems on purpose, but maybe we should take some time to talk about something important that happened late Wednesday afternoon. While there was no wrestling show, WWE cut a handful of extranet talented and big names, some of which were on TV two weeks ago with new gimmicks. Those names are the following:
- Aleister Black
- Ruby Riott
- Buddy Murphy
- Santana Garrett
- Braun Strowman
- Lana
I donāt know what we can say that we havenāt already said before about things like this, but Aleister and Braun are two names that shocked me a lot.
Forrest: Iām not particularly interested in the often callous discussion about whether or not WWE is going to sell, which has dominated the conversation and overshadowed their criminal misuse and mistreatment of these folks in the fallout. I will say that SmackDown currently has an active womenās roster of seven, and clearly some sort of restructure or revitalization is necessary. Losing Braun Strowman in particular is very indicative of the kind of all time low creative bankruptcy they’re experiencing — this weekās Raw was one of the lowest viewed in the showās history.
I hope these individuals find sorely needed and deserved creative freedom and reinvention for themselves elsewhere, too.
Vishal: More than anything else, this was just shocking – itās been like a month since the last round of cuts, and Iām wondering if this is going to go from a yearly to a monthly occurrence. As Forrest said, I hope these wrestlers are able to land on their feet and in a good position, because the stranglehold WWE has on their contractors is obscene.
Friday: Friday Night Dynamite
Charlie: I didnāt get to watch Smackdown, but I did get to watch Dynamite and it was just a pretty okay show aside from a handful of things. Andrade showed up and he is officially All Elite! What a great get! Heās an instant main eventer and looked incredible in his green suit and I hope he and Kenny have a suit off.
The Young Bucks Death Triangle match was incredible, but at this point, what the hell would you expect! I love The Bucks so so so much. Mattās heel work is incredible and itās so obvious that heās the one thatās unraveling the most after turning heel. I canāt wait to see what happens as we move forward.
Kenny and OCās feud is continuing as it should considering Orange was ROBBED of the title and Iām looking forward to them working together more. Don says heās uncovered a conspiracy against Kenny Omega that will disprove that he cheated to win. Unsure about that one, but GO FOR IT.
Everything else. Happened. Oh and Miro rules. Also Kenny teased the Golden Elite on his Instagram as well. Get fucked, donāt tease me.
Forrest: I also chose Dynamite over SmackDown this week! It was a little too much āthis isnāt overā for my tastes, if weāre honest, but stuff like Darby having to find a tag partner other than Sting is fun and inventive. Miro finally gets to talk about his hot wife, and the reinvigoration of Andrade El Idolo should and can be the blueprint for numerous other folks leaving WWE.
Vishal: I did not watch either show on Friday but not only did Andrade show up – he got the esteemed āIs All Eliteā graphic! Thatās huge. I look forward to seeing what he can do – the last 4 major WWE transplants (Miro, FTR, Brodie Lee) got titles real quick.
Saturday: GCW Chat
Forrest: Nick Gage continues to taunt Matt Cardona after Cardona made a Major Wrestling Figure Podcast t-shirt mocking Gageās MDK (Murder Death Kill) gang. I canāt tell if this is real or work or a bit of both, but I know Charlie and I are very entertained by it regardless and if it happens, it should be a Detolf Deathmatch.
Charlie: I think Nick Gage is absolutely going to destroy Matt Cardona. Whether Matt shows up at a GCW show or Nick shows up at Mattās house and throws him out into the street. Also uh… got another transmission from Justin from the past…
Into the Nitro-Verse #3
(June 17-July 1, 1996)
A Sound of Thursday Night Thunder heralds my return to Shoot Sundays!
As always, I am your Itami, Timewalker, and I am back into the temporal slipstream I so covet; A first-ish-hand account of the Rise of WCW. OH boy, oh, BOY do I have a great one for you this cycle.
After my brief sojourn into the Starrcades of yesteryear, I am returned! At least to 1996, thanks to a welcome Here Comes The Boom Tube cast by Not-Areo-Star. Some brief table setting for our new readers and returning guests before we get to the meaty men, bumpinā meat.
During the final moments of The Great American Bash ā96 (reverse niiiice), the newly dubbed Outsiders were confronted by Eric Bischoff, Godās Cherpiest Man. You see, the pair had started a series of increasing interruptions during Monday Nitro, you might have heard something about this, he typed into this godlessly old machine sarcastically. This comes to its first head here, when Bischoff bluntly asks if the pair work for the WW-NOT-YET-E which they deny. And then, for his trouble, powerbomb him into a palette of empty moving boxes just to the right of the stage ramp to end the PPV.
SO NOW, we are here, in the series of lead up shows to Bash at the Beach ā96 and itās truly striking to see this kind of nu-wave wrestling narratives start to take shape in real-time. The storytelling itself here becomes intensely streamlined. This is in huge thanks to the absence of the Totally Legitimate Owner of Gawker and Not At All A Disgusting Racist Hulk Hogan.
But also, more realistically, that there are only really two stories ongoing right now. The still boiling Outsiders plot, which instantly gets some juice this round thanks to everyoneās constant teasing of the already incoming Third Man (but not that one with Joseph Cotton). And the brewing faction war between the Dungeon of Doom and the Nu-4 Horsemen, now back to full power thanks to the recent recruitment of Mongo āAINāT IT PRETTY, MEAN GENE?!ā McMichaels.
It all feels a chest-tightening, but a goofy sort of tense. Better still, the actual matches, even throughout the undercard, are REALLY strong! Youāve got the Dawn of the Cruiserweights, anchored by the likes of The GOAT Eddie Guerrero, Psicosis (these two in particular carrying over their now legendary feuds of this eraās AAA and NJPW, literally nights after performing overseas), and Dean Malenko, The Man of a 1000 Stares. Youāve got Diamond Dallas Page 11-year-old Justinās Favorite Wrestler, starting to find his feet. And youāve even got a lot of super dumb tag-team drama dotting the act-breaks in-between Outsiders antics!
It might be the 1996 Schlitz and slightly irradiated Motel 6 vending machine binges talking, but I am still just shocked as shit at how well all this junk has been working for me. I know where itās going. Hell, I WATCHED it happening once, hip deep in a beanbag chair and clutching an issue of The Simpsons in my grubby, potato skin covered fingers.
But now, here again, surrounded by the screaming hoi polloi of the past, Iāll be good goddamned if it isnāt working for me again. Thatās all from me this time in this timeline. I shall report back when I can. Not-Areo-Star said he would put Quake on this thing if I just watched a box of his stuff over the weekend. It keeps… I wanna say, chattering? But I try not to think about it much.
Until next time, tell Andrade El Idolo I love him.
-JPIII
Charlie Davis is the worldās premier Shatterstarologist, writer and co-host of The Match Club.
Forrest is an experimental AI that writes and podcasts about comic books and wrestling coming to your area soon.
Vishal Gullapalli is highly opinionated and reads way too much.
