Wrestling thread

The “Doomsday Cage” match should’ve been clear evidence Hulk Hogan was destined to destroy WCW.

Really am happy that Orange Cassidy won a title. It’s about time.

There’s a lot about the main event that I love. PAC’s DDT sells, the way the ring bell storyline payed off with Orange thinking about stooping to PAC’s level but being the better man, the way their match was a role reversal in 2020 where PAC was doing the goofy shit and Orange was fired up, this was great stuff. Anybody who isn’t a fan of Orange Cassidy, I’m sorry you’re missing out.

I really hope Hangman is okay. The match was pretty good until he got hurt. You can really tell they were scrambling in the last ten minutes because the match was probably gonna go another 7 or 8 minutes.

It’s also crazy to me that Hangman got injured off a clothesline when 15 minutes earlier he did a moonsault off a balcony. You never can tell what’s gonna hurt you.

This really fucking sucks, especially as someone who Hangman is probably my favorite AEW wrestler.

Karl Anderson released a video saying he’s not going to defend his Never Openweight title in November because of the Crown Jewel booking. This seems really carny.

Here’s what Dave Meltzer wrote in the Observer of the CM Punk situation. These notes are abbreviated and come straight from Reddit.

• Ace Steel, real name Chris Guy, was released on 10/17 due to the situation at All Out. His wife was never spoken to for the investigation.

• AEW currently is in talks to buy out the remainder of CM Punk’s contract, and Dave says this suggests that they are not looking to bring him back.

• There is an issue with the non-compete. Dave says this being an issue means obviously they don’t want him going to WWE as that’s the only other company that can pay him the amount he was getting.

• Dave goes into several different scenarios regarding the optics of Punk going to WWE, and how even though WWE was very negative on him in the past and didn’t get him when FOX pushed for him, they might now because they didn’t realize just how much he meant to the fanbase prior to his AEW debut, and getting Punk even now while he’s injured and won’t be able to wrestle for several months just for appearances would be a major coup for them.

• AEW and Punk didn’t comment or deny any of this.

• Sentiment in AEW is decidedly anti-Punk.

• Punk hasn’t actually had any contact with WWE but is said to be close with Adam Pearce and Paul Heyman who have some pull there.

If the CM Punk not coming back to AEW Rumors are indeed True, that’s by far the Biggest Loss for Tony Khan by a Mile!

Punk is by a large Margin the Biggest Draw & Star the Promotion has & now they wanna likely buying out his Contract? That’s a Huge Black Eye for AEW no questions about it.

Why in the Hell couldn’t Tony Khan get the Parties together somehow & solve the BS Issues that exist, if I was a Wrestling Promoter it would never come in mind to let a Incredible Asset like CM Punk slip through my Fingers just saying. 🙄

#CMPunk #AEW #WakeUpTonyKhan

the whole world could end up being destroyed by a giant meteor tomorrow and Bret Hart will still try and find a way to say it’s Goldbergs fault.

@Background Pony #E511
Getting them together is actually a lot harder tbh.

As for Punk joining WWE, I’m pretty sure he should be a commentator for NXT.

@Holofan4life
Indeed.

Punk is a petty little asshole

I’m going to Raw tonight. I’m really excited.

I still think WWE is better than AEW, but I’m tired of all the interference in matches. I get you want to protect everyone, but losing a match clean doesn’t mean you got buried. You can lose a match and still look strong.

I like Austin Theory, but there was no reason for him to beat Ali last night. Ali should’ve won clean. I get Rollins cost Ali the match which sets up Seth and Mustafa, but you’re trying to set Ali up as a contender. He needs the win more than Theory.

Same goes for Gargano Corbin. You’re pushing both guys, which why I in theory understand JBL interfering to help Corbin win. But then why do the match? You could’ve had Corbin in there with anyone besides Gargano. Gargano was all over the show as is.

This isn’t just a WWE thing. They do this all the time in NJPW with House of Torture. And AEW is prevalent with it as well. I don’t have a problem when one or two matches has outside interference, and I’m glad WWE is no longer doing the thing where it seemed like every match ends in DQ, but when every match other than the Omos squash has interference of some kind, you are overdoing it. There’s protecting, and there’s overthinking things.

I gotta say, I had some problems with Raw last night, but with the way some people have been talking about it, you would’ve thought it shot their dog or something. It wasn’t that bad. It wasn’t great, but it wasn’t horrible. Maybe my mindset is clouded by being there live, I don’t know. It was more so forgettable than awful, in my opinion.

I read that Jim Cornette in the recent episode of his podcast said that Kenny Omega needs to have his legs broken and Angelico needs to be put in a bag and thrown in a river. Even if he is joking, it just comes off as cartoonish at this point his hatred for some of the AEW guys.

The fact that Kevin Nash lost both his best friend Scott Hall AND his own son Tristan (who deahh was also on Scott’s birthday) is just really tragic.

My condolences to his family.

Yeah being live is not the same as watching the broadcast, it changes the whole experience

Like Wrestlemania 32, pretty bad on places during the broadcast, yet people who were live will tell you they had a blast

Thats what makes it hilarious

He also has a lot of Clique PTSD which like it or not, is how AEW was concived and what is gonna devolve to if Khan stops treating the talent like friends

@QuasarNova
Kenny Omega is not even a fraction of a fraction of what Shawn Michaels was like in 97/98.

Jungle Kyona must become ALL ELITE period!

Having a well-experienced former Stardom Talent like that in AEW would be absolutely Beneficial to the Womens Division! :D

#JungleKyona #SignHerTK

Here’s a paraphrase from the Wrestling Observer Newsletter of the All Out fight investigation, which Meltzer says has been included.
​

• The investigation was completed last week and ended with Chris Guy (Ace Steele) being let go, the buy-out talks with Punk, and the imminent return of The Elite.

• The Elite and Don Callis were backstage at the show in Norfolk, but did not appear on TV. Dave speculates that Full Gear would be a logical point for their return, but says nothing has actually been said or hinted to him as to when they might truly be back on TV.

• Many top stars (including Jericho) believe that Punk will not be back. One top star was quoted as saying Punk’s value on screen isn’t worth the hassle and dark cloud he brings backstage.

• A recap of the fight: The Bucks and AEW Head of Legal Megha Parekh went to Punk’s locker room to discuss the press conference. There were various versions claiming the Bucks kicked the door down, which didn’t happen. Punk punched Matt Jackson, Guy hit Nick Jackson with a steel chair and bit Kenny Omega on the arm.

• Dave recounts the Nick Hausman story about Punk and his dog and says that the obvious problem with the story is that there is no way this wouldn’t have surfaced almost immediately, yet in almost 7-8 weeks, it never came up, and only came up when news of The Elite’s return got out. Dave has quotes from several sources, including one not affiliated with either side (but who eventually became pro-Elite), that the whole dog story is a complete lie. According to this source, Punk couldn’t give a fuck less about the dog and was a complete psycho, Kenny picked up the dog to protect it and gave it to Megha who was then holding the dog and screaming at Punk to stop. Punk still didn’t stop.

• Dave says there were lawyers involved almost immediately from all sides, but as of right now, there has been no legal action and The Elite decided not to press charges.

• Dave says that usually the biggest star in a company would have the advantage, but even though in this case at least most of the top stars sided with The Elite, the investigation did clear The Elite and Chris Guy was fired and Punk is not coming back. He says there haven’t been any actual talks with WWE and Punk because legally he’s still under AEW contract at the moment and so they can’t do that yet.

• Dave notes that obviously people on Punk’s side won’t change their feelings regardless of this outcome of the investigation, but he says that the whole situation should have been handled way back, even before Page’s promo about workers’ rights, when the Cabana situation (removing him from AEW and putting him in ROH) first happened and negativity about Punk began to rise among people in the locker room.

​It was also reported by Fightful that after Punk’s presser, when he told people if anyone got something to say to him meet up with him, Jericho went up to him and told Punk that he was a cancer to the locker room and a detriment to the company. Punk allegedly responded by saying it’s none of his business.

Punk is like the Batman quote you either die a hero or live long enough to become the villain. He was the hero of the IWC after he left WWE. And now, it’s like he’s the modern day version of Hardcore Holly.

@Holofan4life
Irony.

NOAH announced that on January 1st, 2023, we are getting The Great Muta Vs SHINSUKE MOTHERFUCKING NAKAMURA

Tonight’s Dynamite was weird. Jeff Jarrett, Shibata, and Rick Ross all in one episode? Felt like a fever dream.

AEW A WILD SLAPNUTS HAS APPEARED

Smackdown this week pre taped because of Saudi Arabia

In regards to Jarrett being in AEW, it has been a long time since he was in Turner-branded Networks when he was in WCW.