And nine.
Ignition five four three two one zero engine running.
It's Wednesday. You know what that means. It's time for Ignition with the a W fanhob podcast team. This is Kelson. We've got a full house here tonight. We're gonna have some fun. We're gonna talk about tonight's fighter Fest and a whole lot of other hot topics in a w But let's go ahead and talk about fighter Fest because
I believe. I believe that fighter Fest this week, which is a four hour long show, Summer Blockbuster next week, which is another four hour long show, and then Grand Slam Slum Grand Slam, Grand Slam Mexico in two weeks. These are big show. These are big shows for AW to build an audience, and especially with all the things that have been going on with WWE. Guys, I want your opinions on this. What does AW need to do, if anything different, to gain more viewers.
I personally don't think they have to do anything different. I think if they put on a show like they do every week, have great matches, more match time than they have talk time, and they'll do just fine.
Exactly, just keep doing what you're doing, putting on killer matches, great storylines with like emotional depths and stuff. Just keep doing, do not mess with the current formula. Everything is going to be great.
Let me throw a little bit of let me throw a little wrench in here for you. And I want to hear from I want to hear your opinions on this, because I'm not going to give my opinions on social media Reddit and Twitter or x. Specifically, there's a lot of WWE fans in light of the things that have been going on in WWE, you know, in recent weeks and more specifically, you know, like the Our Truth release,
which really upset a lot of people. Rightfully so, but when you're doing a show, and I understand what you're saying, if it ain't broke, you know, don't fix it. But also when you want to attract WWE fans, is there anything that aw needs to do specifically directed at w I'm not even talking about changing the show, but is there something that they can do to I don't know entice WWE fans to watch and continue to watch.
I think they crave wrestling is what they want to see, and less commercials and less shenanigans and just do the thing thing. I think that's what they're missing because I hear a lot of people complain about tons of commercials and stupid run ins and stuff like that, and so I really think they need to do what they've been doing and stuff. And the cornyon iss too. The cornerings is kind of fun. Sometimes I enjoy the corniness, but
I don't know how they feel about it. But but cornyiness is is a big part of what makes AW great.
Right, Well, Hamasar, what do you think?
Yeah, the most most people I know that watch wwbe primarily in it for the storylines. I do think there's probably some legitimate criticism to be had, especially with the women's division, that AW lacks some focus in the lower card, with kind of having storylines with people that aren't involved with a belt at the time. I think I would like to see a little bit more there in general, without it becoming like, you know, two matches an hour kind of talkie segments.
Yeah, hey, that you just made a really good point in that two matches an hour. We've got eight matches segments on slate for tomorrow night or for tonight on Fight or Fest and it's a four hour show. Well, they've obviously they've got to add stuff in here because I personally don't want to see Mark Briscoe and you know, Job Moxley go at it for forty five minutes, you know what I mean. So there's obviously going to be more added to the show. I mean, you're talking a
four hour show. So, and Tony Kahn has has publicly said on two things that are interesting on Twitter or X one, he said that he is advertising this on social media as a four our pay per view on TV. So he said those words, So he's got to come through.
He's got to come through. The second thing is somebody asked him and this was interesting because I don't really understand why somebody would even ask this, but he answered it, you know, because somebody asked this on Twitter and tagged Tony Khan in it, and he said something to the effect of what should we do about gatekeeping? You know, you know, should.
We welcome these WWE fans into our midst with open arms? And Tony Kahan basically said, absolutely, welcome everybody. I mean, why wouldn't he say that, I mean it was kind of a stupid question. You know, what are you going to say?
No?
You know, find our house is a burn up of the ground like hang man out a page. It's worth Strickland, you know, So it's kind of weird.
I think it's very important that people who aren't w who are AW fans if Tony, if Tony's calling this a pay per view, you guarantee he's going to put on a pay per view quality show. He's never I don't think there's ever been a pay per view where he's completely failed to do what he set out to do. And when it comes to bringing in and welcoming the other WW fans, hell yeah, you want to encourage them to come back, and you want to welcome in because
they're gonna come. They're gonna see what they're they're gonna find what they're looking for in a w and they're gonna say, hey, wait a minute, maybe we've been wrong about AEW. And they're gonna stick around for more than tonight, and they're gonna have this for the next three weeks. Stuff like this, they're definitely got a chance, a good chance to bring in a new AEW fans from WWE and keep them.
Yeah, I mean, Matt, I wanted to hear your opinion on this.
I think it's a good idea, the more fans the better.
Uh.
I mean, don't close the door on people that watch WWE, because that's that's where the tribalism comes from. If you love wrestling, you love wrestling, and it doesn't matter the promotion it. I mean, who cares what's going on. I just hope to see the same level of wrestling that we've seen with AEW. I'm not a big fan of all the talkie let's you know, let's all have feelings
and hold hands kind of segments. I like the wrestling, and I mean I'm a fan of a good storyline, but when it comes down to it, I like the action. So I think that if they put on a good show like they are known to do, especially at pay per views, there's nothing really to worry about, and I think people will come back and want to see more.
Yeah, I mean, look what you know when you're look at it though, and I'll let you go, homosare too when you look at it though. I mean, I think AW fans are there for the wrestling, the actual action. Yeah, you know, But as you're saying, but with w w WEE fans coming in, do you want to give them that break? You know? One of the things I want to go ahead and go to Homosaur because I do have an opinion on this. Go ahead a homosaur, Yeah, I think.
I think the more so. One thing I really liked the past month or so is all these all star tags they've been having. I think that Tony Kahan needs to like I feel like that he's the TV's been at the best whenever he's kind of relentlessly and shamelessly ripped off from New Japan. So they've done a good job adapting that sort of calendar like schedule to the United States. They turning the the owen Hart Classic into like a legitimate thing and a title shot like a
big deal was really smart. Having the Continental Classic as kind of the end of the year tournament. We'll see what kind of they do with that next year, since it seems like there's some possibility they may just remove
the belt and may just become a tournament. But they all start tag something is something that has always been kind of a staple in New Japan and a source of a lot of storytelling that they have never really taken advantage of that much, and I think it's it's paid off a lot, even in the last month with them doing that stuff, so I would love to see that tomorrow. They don't really have I don't think anything announced in that way, but that's kind of a great
way to show. I think fans that have seen a lot of other American wrestling like an alternative form of storytelling that's more action oriented.
Yeah, it's interesting that it's weird because just just what you said on a swear, we have a lot of different in opinions. Now I'm very vocal about this, you know, and this is just my opinion. When I see an all star eight man tag, I don't give a crap about it, and I generally just zone out because I think they're awful. I have never seen one that's or let me never never seeing them where they're consistently good. I think they're the worst matches that Tony Comput's on.
I hate them and they and I wish that they just wouldn't do it. I want to see, you know. I don't even like Trio's matches, you know, whether there's a belt involved or something. But when they have those big, long, those big matches, it's just a bunch of people standing around most of the time. I could go to the
mall and see that. Yeah, you know, it's it's weird though, because it makes it makes a good point because it'd be a little bit crass here when you look at aw pay per views, you look at the card and you're like, God, you look at the card and you look at like ten twelve matches and you're you're pointing out them, going well, I'm gonna go to the bathroom at this match, and I hope it's kind of in the middle of the show. There's just no way. You just can't take any time off from the TV and
the for the fear of missing something great. Does that make sense to you? Whereas with WWE, I mean there's piss brakes built in, lots of them, you know, And that is a that is a talking point from WWE fans that I have seen, is like there's all that product placement in and around the ring, and you know, there's so many commercials and there's so many vignettes and things like that. It takes away from the action. You know, people don't watch wrestling, at least not in my opinion,
to go watch commercials. In my opinion, they watch wrestlings like Netza for the action and of course the storylines are part of the action. But come on, I mean, when a big b model of Prime gets in your viewing way, then you've got a problem.
Yeah you know, me, I can't stand that stuff.
Somebody was telev me whether it tastes like battery acid or something like that, which begs the question, how do you know what battery acids tastes like?
But well, I was talking about the oversaturation of advertising. But no, I don't really like Prime either.
Yeah you know, but look, I mean, go ahead, No, I.
Was just gonna say, this kind is a Netflix kind of thing, isn't it, because I don't think they were like that before they came to Netflix, not as bad with the like the advertising thing. I think it's because they were the Netflix where the ads became what they became, because you know, they did a lot of not as you know, they still weren't wrestling when they were on USA or whatever channel they were on, but they didn't
have the overt placements like they do now. And you know that's something that's not going to change.
They had the placements, so they did, but there wasn't as blatant I guess is the best way to put it.
I would imagine a big piece of that is TKO, who has made a lot of money from sticking ads on people's butts for years now.
Yeah, well, you know you brought up Netflix. You know, I have a graphic up here in the chat if anybody's looking at it. Netflix has their their ratings. I guess it's not really ratings but views. It goes by global views and hours that were viewed. And they they do these ratings seven days after a show airs well on Netflix. In global views. From April twenty eighth to May twenty six, they've lost you know, four hundred thousand viewers in global views, and they've lost a clean one
million hours viewed on This is for ww RAW. That's not good. That is not good when you're dropping four hundred thousand viewers and losing one million views in the space of a month. And keep in mind that, look, you just had this whole our truth unfortunate what happened there the universally loved I mean, you have fans that are upset, You've got wrestlers that are upset. I'm just probably staffed that's upset, you know, production team that's upset.
That kind of affects it. You if you watched Raw last night, you heard the chance before Ross went the air during Raw, you know, after the after Raw ended, there were chants, you know, for our truths.
They're chanting for somebody through a cmfunk segment.
Yeah, yeah, I gotta get am plums, chunk, tongue and cheek. You know, he couldn't say what he really wanted to say, but he supported them.
Yeah, I heard. I think it was somebody on like What Culture this morning said this, like the WWE is re entering its heel era. Like they're like the heel Federation now because like between the ads, the jacked up ticket prices, the jacked up everything prices really and now finally kicking someone as beloved as our truth to the curb. The backlash is in the gether, in the oversaturation of booking, which he went into last week. They're like they had they had like a period of like after Vince left,
it's like, oh everything is good again. Were there the good guys now? Nope? Uh, I agree, sort of got knocked that rose real quick.
If you believe the rumors Vince may be making a comeback.
Yeah, he said those rumors were shot down rather quickly.
I just yeah, I think it's a lot of Since t K t KO has taken over, I really feel like they're they've lost their edge. I don't know if it was a right move to just stream on Netflix either by them and so, but this these releases feel very t k O ish And I don't know if they told Triple H let go of certain people or fine room and make red I don't I don't know.
But it just was reported was that t k O did demand that they make some cuts and that it was Triple H that actually suggested the cuts. So he he made, he picked the personnel, and if reports are true.
There's also any bit. There's also reports that the miss who's like the third longest tenured wrestler in WWE right now, has removed on all oh his social media's references that WWE are gone and his contract runs out this year, so he may be gone too.
Just before I opened up this podcast, and I apologize, you know, for not being prepared here because it just happened. Somebody said that Bailey made a post alluding to her being worried about her contract or already being told maybe that her contract isn't going to be renewed, although it doesn't look like her contract is necessarily up really soon, but she may have only like two or three months
left in in WWE. We look I think one of the biggest things with I don't know how to put this, but I think that WWE kind of backed themselves into a corner by doing their premium live events because they're not getting revenue from you know, pay per view buys. You know, I think that what was it double or nothing? Did one hundred and thirty something pay per view buys at what fifty bucks each? That's a crapload of money that you that you lose out on, you know what
I mean. So, I mean you just got to look at it realistically here. I mean, they backed themselves into a corner. They can't go back from a PL plan to a pay per view plan without looking really stupid. And that was one of the things that when AW went to Max and you know, they said, we can't go to a PL plan because we back ourselves into
a corner. If we do so, we'll see. But of course it is reported that later on this year, which we are getting close to being later on this year, now that the WAW pay per views will be available for purchase on Max at a discount. Not really heard anything else about that, though.
I would very much appreciate.
That, Yeah, especially when you have a you know, a lot more pay per views in aw than there were you know, three years ago for sure.
Yeah, someone who has enjoyed the half price pay per views on trailer via VPN, thank you to the country of Ireland. That seems like it may be going away very soon. And I will tell you, as somebody who tried last pay per view, the other pay per view providers are a lot tighter on YouTube.
So I was wondering because I couldn't this is your first time with this hoosaur and and I was like, where does that accident? It's Irish obviously, Okay, now I'm from Missouri, except same thing you just uh Western. Yeah, so we touched on Look, we've had Our Truth was recently released, Uh, universally loved at w W. But there's been you know, different releases as well from w W, not only this week, and there was a report that there are more possibly coming.
Uh.
You know, we've all seen the list. Is there anybody that stands out to you guys uh as being someone that would fit in a w and why.
I think Bailey would if she came over if Yeah, Bailey would be a big one if she did.
Right, Bailey's you know, really good friends with Mercedes.
Right absolutely, I think so.
Have they thought about using that CM punk guy over in a W.
I I don't think. I don't. I don't think they would go on all off for him at all.
I think.
Detonated and and removed from the planet. I don't think you'll ever move.
They say never say never in this industry, but I think that's a pretty good never.
Maybe maybe maybe if they they WE send people to Mars, and they have an a W division in Mars, maybe they send him there. But you know, I just don't see him being around t K at all. Ever.
Yeah, yeah, that was a.
Good thing for t K.
You know what was interesting though, is just looking at the comments by a w fans, because this question itself has been presented on social media quite a bit, and a lot of aw fans were saying, look, we just can't go out and grab these ex WWE men and women whose goal is to go to WWE again.
You know, why would you?
Why would why would you? Why would you recruit and hire someone like you know, and there's it's unconfirmed still at this point, But why would you recruit and hire somebody like Mariah May who's using AW as a stepping stone to go to WWE or in some cases back to WWE. But I want to look. When Mercedes Monet was first signed by AW, she made a statement that she can see herself going to WWE again one day one day, and it caused a stir. And now I don't know she was told, Hey, don't ever say that
shit again. But I'm gonna be honest with you. If you listen to Mercedes Monette talk about AW something, please mute your mic when you hear AW or Mercedes Monet talking about AW. There is no indication that she's ever going to leave AW. She is just gushing about AW like it's been the biggest godsend of her career, you know. And I think that if people do come into AW, meaning wrestlers and talent come to AW, not using it as a stepping stone, but as a career move, I think they'll find success.
Money In particular, I mean, she did everything possible to try not to go back to WWE. She delayed delayed and delayed for her. She went to Japan, she got injured, she kept delaying, like she did not she did not want to go back. She wanted to have them give her enough money to stay and keep doing Japan, to keep doing worldwide stuff. She's she's the person like out
of WWE, Like that is the person that like. She said that she wanted to wrestle because she saw Guya girls, Like if you watched that documentary and wanted to and thought, oh, this is great, I want to do this, Like you're a strange person, Like you definitely are a different breed of person. And the first time she left ww in the first place, she went to Japan, she went to the Marvelous dojo and like hung out with Chagos Nagayo, Like she's not She's always been kind of a different
person and had a different outlook on wrestling. So yeah, definitely, I think, you know, I'm sure she's she I do remember her saying that, But yeah, I think overall, like if she can make the money, I think she would be happy to to not be back in that system and to be restricted.
Yeah, I mean you also got to look at it this way. You have to look at the person outside of the ring and outside of the arena. Mercedes Monette is one of those AW talents that really just promotes the crap out of AAW. She's out there just doing everything. You know, whether you're a Mercedes Monet fan of her wrestling work or in ring persona and or you know, promos and vignettes or whatever she's doing. I don't think anybody here could deny that she's really promoting the hell out of AW.
Oh not at all. She's great. I admit it took me a minute. Like she I don't think she had a very strong start. I don't think he makes a very good face honestly. But no, she is working that hell out of LIKE promotion. She's going everywhere, she is like putting She is getting AW out there, and you can't really ask for more than that.
Yeah, I mean, look, I mean when you look at a W and the people that are putting it out, I mean, Kyle Fletcher is working his tail off for AW. Outside of the arena. You know he's doing He's gonna he's building your career as a weather man. I'm telling you he's probably gonna be entering night school or something your day school, because the guy has got it. He's hysterical.
He's why isn't that every everywhere he goes and he makes these little news uh you know, interview at news channels they always put them, Hey, you want to do the weather? Okay, and he gets out there and he just he's just a bundle of enthusiasm. But uh, I mean there are wrestlers like that. But again it goes back to like these WWE releases. I mean when you look at their ages, and I mean, I love our truth. Our truth is awesome. But he's fifty three years old.
If he was to come to ae W, you put him in a role that would suit his ability, you know that. You know, if you sign him to a four year contract, you gotta look, Okay, at the end of this contract, he's going to be fifty seven or fifty eight, you know what I mean. So you know, this is what I'm saying. In my opinion, there are I don't know, maybe two people from AW relase from WW releases that I think would be viable in AW. I don't know about you guys, what do you guys think?
Well, I think that our Truth seems to have found the same Benjamin Fountain of youth that Dustin Rhodes has. He still looks great. He we only got to see it for a couple of seconds, but he can still go in the ring pretty decent. If he can still go, I don't see a reason not to just overlook him.
I can see him all right.
I could see him in a Paul White roll of more backstage suff helping out and stuff, and every once in a while coming out. But he's a funny guy. But I don't think we necessarily need him wrestling right now. But he'd be great to have backstage and help the stuff and do stuff like that.
I think he'd beat a perfect fit with the normal Orange Cassidy because they both fill that comic role. Orange hasn't done it as much since he's became a title holder and all that, but he's still I think he'd be a great Accusit Accusit acquisition. What you said, Yeah, to be honest, your point about people wanting to go why you would hire people that want to go back to WWE. A lot of those folks, like Mercedes said it in the beginning, she didn't know what aw was
like from the inside. She knew what it was like from the outside, she'd seen what it was like, but she didn't get to experience what freedoms you have. I think one of the biggest problems that like Mariah May is going to have is she's going to realize very quickly that being limited to AWWE events and possibly getting your dream moment at WrestleMania does not make up for the rest of the year when you're doing nothing because
they don't have use for you. And that's what she's going to find out, I think in a bad way.
Well, the first year for Mariah May is going to be good because, let's face may I May goes to WWE, She's I would doubt seriously that you would spend much time in an XD. She'd they spent a few weeks and you know, maybe a couple of months at best at NXT before going to the main roster, and she will have a belt around her waist and she's gonna be a big deal and then after a while she's gonna fizzle, just like any you know x AW or frankly, the same thing happened when WCW ended. Yeah, guys, those
guys died a slow, miserable death. You know, I mean, anybody that's not seeing punk is dead dead weight there. You know, you're not a w w E.
If you're not a WWE product from beginning to end, you don't have a chance in WWE. Everybody says, well, Cody went back, Well Cody started in WWE, so yeah, he went back and did have a problem with that. But nobody that comes from AEW last more than six months before they start to becoming nothing again.
Yeah, I mean, but it's weird because they do put a belt on you know, Lexus King, you know the former Brian Pillman Jr. Ethan Page, they have belts around their waist and then I mean Jade Cargill got a belt tag team belt around her waist and then he basically killed the tag Team division.
I think they do that because they want to try to fool everybody into thinking that they are going to make something out of those people. And like I said, after they get the first belt, after that, what happened Ethan Page.
Yeah exactly, I mean he's and I like Ethan Page. I was never really a big fan of Pillman Junior. But you know, yeah, but you know, look, when it comes to the recent WWE releases, whether they fit in a w you know, Shana Basler to me, No, I don't know if you guys agree with me on that.
But.
She was one of the four horsemen Women's MMA, you know, but does she fit because one of the other four horsemen was Marina Shaffir. And frankly, she's not really find her munition in AW either. You know, that wasn't briefcase. It would be either.
I'd say, like Cora and Bailey. If Bailey turns out to have been cut, I can't really think of who else would like really be it be a huge asset to AEW at this point. And I'm saying that as somebody who absolutely loves Shana.
No, I love Shana too, But let's face it, she's no, she's not, you know, in her twenties anymore. She's barely at her thirties.
He's actually I think she's like forty five actually, So you know.
Yeah, I mean, what what what worth are you going to get out of somebody? Why you why would you invest money in somebody? Later you brought up Corey Jade. I absolutely do believe that Corga to Elena Black is a perfect fit for AW because she's twenty four years old. She does have some experience, and you know, she just did an interview with Kilwanie and said, I think it was two days ago. They said that they asked her, so, would you go to AW. She said yes. She said
that she has a lot of friends in AW. She watches the shows and she enjoyed her time in AW. She did wrestle two matches when she was before she went to WWE with AW. She does have a little bit of baggage in AW. I think she's got a little bit of a She had a little bit of spat with Darby Allen. I don't even know what it was about, but I think there was that, and then of course there was a little bit of a spat
with sky Blue. But I kind of think that that was tongue in cheek because at the time when cor Jade kind of made these made the scene in WWE, sky Blue was making the scene at AW at the same time, and they both came out wearing baseball caps backwards. Do you remember that when sky Blue used to do that, she would come out wearing a backward baseball cap and Elena Black or cord Jade did say something like she's stealing she's copying me, you know, but.
Well from Chicago. I'd be shocked if they had any real heat.
Exactly. I just don't think that that's that's even a deal. I don't know what happened between her and Darby Allen, but.
I do remember this one. So Darby was running his mouth a little bit, so he kind of deserved a little bit of heat. Basically was saying that like, because she had it, they give her a skateboard for a little while. It was like a gimmick, and he was upset that she was a poser, basically that she wasn't a real skater, and uh, she shot back at her, or she shot back at Darby referring to his speaking out allegations, which you.
Know, yeah, I can understand that though. I mean, you know, look, if you're going to do a skateboard, you know theme, you better skateboard.
I think one of the things that you that you kind of overlooked when you were talking about SHANEA Basler, you did mention that she has a thing with Marina Shaffir. If a W is legit going to have a women's tag team division, that's the tag team they need to have in AE w That would be why you'd bring Shane in to team her up with the former four horse you know they were they were four horse Women of the UFC or whatever, and that would be a great tag team to get into the into that with.
Oh that's right.
Well to Rousey is available to you know, yeah, yeah, you know, and she didn't wrestle wrestle at r o H you know at one point with Marina Shafir. So I don't think that that's I get your point something, but I don't think that putting getting a forty five year old Shada Basler at aw for a specific reason of tagging with Marina Shafir, who hasn't really shown that she's a main eventor or even maybe not even a mid carter upper mid carter, or you know what I mean.
I think you I think you've got to focus up for Rina Shafir.
I get that idea, But the problem with that is it's not really Marina's fault because she's been booked with the with Mox and Company, and where where has Tony given her a chance to show what she can do in the ring. She hasn't been in her wrestling match since before the event Sunday. She hasn't been in a
wrestling match in how long. I mean, you know, you got to put the blame on Tony for that, because he has a tendency not to use everywhere he could in certain place, and I think she looked that bad when she was wrestling against Willow.
I agree with you Sutton there about Marina Shaffir. I've seen her wrestle before she came to a w in the Indies, and she's very very good.
Doesn't she hold the title somewhere?
Does she?
What doesn't she hold a title somewhere? I thought she had a title in de Fie.
She's the Women's World Champion. So, I mean, she's very a very very good wrestler.
She's one of the.
People that I was really excited to see come into a w and for the life of me, I can't understand why she's running around with Moxley and the rest of them all the time. There is a lot of potential for her, and I really hope that Tony Kahan does not mess this up, that she just kind of has this fight with Willow and it fizzles out and she does nothing else.
The problem is, here's the problem with Tony Kahan and will be a problem. He solved it a little bit, but this is always going to be his weak spot. He does not have a clue when it comes to the women's division. He doesn't.
He has can help.
He had, but the problem is it's gotten a little bit better. But think about it, from what he's had with Tony Storm and that storyline, and even with Monette and all the stuff that he's been doing, he still hasn't got it down with how to put on a women's program that actually is useful. He doesn't use people in the right places. You know you hear thunder Rose saying I want to wrestle Britt Baker at all in
because she's not being used right. She would be a better fit of going against the Marina Shafir than a Britt Baker because honestly, from what the way Britt Baker handled the Manet match, I don't think we'll ever see Britt Baker in a ring again. I really don't. Oh wow, yeah, I.
Would agree with that.
Yeah.
I wonder though with the thunder rosa thing, is this an angle like? Because she had programs recently, she was on Tvalized, she had a TV match in May.
So like her thing is she's upset because the women who, to put it, bluntly dressed, sexually or sexiest are the ones that seem to be on TV, and she doesn't. She comes out in a very de mirror. She doesn't wear anything flashy, she doesn't wear anything revealing, and she's got it that that's costing her mass time. So you know, is it is it true or is it just in her head or you know that's the thing that people have to decide on.
Well enough, they put you on the air.
And I think she's great, but I don't think she's a tops tier star, Like maybe she thinks she is. I don't know, but she's not. I enjoy watching matches, but I don't watch for her.
Yeah. I think she's been better recently. I'm knowing she had a really hard time coming back from her back injury. Yeah, she's been good in twenty five, like into twenty four, she's been.
We are recording this on Tuesday Night at MK. Just posted something that is now confirmed because NXT is going on right now. Mariah May has made her WWE debut.
Good for her.
Did they give her a fake name?
Well, we're doing this podcast, So I don't know, Yeah, you know, good tomorrow, I may. I mean, this was her dream and I am never going to be one to question somebody's dream if that's what she wanted to do. You know that she she spout success. I'm happy for her, and I hope she does well. I really do.
I still think she's made a terrible mistake.
But I.
Mean it's hard to say that, you know, because maybe she's going to be the top star in WWEE by this time next year.
We don't know.
Does does Flair still work there? Because his long as Flair, Charlotte Flair is in WWE, there will never be a bigger star in WWE than Charlotte Flair.
Not because I don't think that Charlotte Flair is even in the conversation in the top five right now of the biggest stars in w W you know.
So they brought those from n XT pretty quick, like Julia and Stephanie Vacaier. I I think they're gonna they're looking to refresh that scene a little bit right now.
Yeah, I mean, Stephanie Mcare has gotten a really she got to, you know, a step up on Julia. But she's she's a better wrestler than Julia. I think Julia is a little bit more marketable. I don't know, that's just my feeling. But you know, Stephanie is a great wrestler. She's a great talent and by all accounts, an extremely
hard worker, as is Julia. That's one of the things, you know, when you're looking at companies like CMLL and Stardom, they wrestle so much more thann A W and w W. I mean they just put on shows back to back to back night sometimes it's unbelievable. And they had the same wrestlers wrestling and on those back to back to back nights. Uh so, yeah, I mean, come on, but anyway, good luck to m I don't know if you guys saw the the uh the interview that thunder Rossa didn't.
I can't remember who it is who is with She basically said, what do I have to do to get into it, you know, into a match that to show my tits?
You know?
So, I mean thunder ross is one of those women that uh she what did she She challenged Britt Baker to her hair versus hair match. I think it was a little bit tug in cheek, but I mean if you can tell thunder Rossa wants it.
I think a little bit she's upset that she's not in the women's titled scene more than she is. You know, we talked about how uh what's her name didn't I can't think of her name right now. She was in the finals with Monett. How she didn't lose her title she was injured. Was same with with thunder Rosis. She didn't lose the title. She had to give it up because she was hurt. And I don't think she's really got a title shot again.
That well, yeah, hater did lose her title.
Uh, well she lost to me because she was in we know why?
Yeah, you know, does that happen? You know, even on the women's division. Uh, Julia Hart lost her TBS title because she was she was injured. I think she was death the loser title pretty soon anyway. But I've said it before. I don't think that it was uh Willow that was supposed to win the title. I think it was supposed to be her, Mercedes Monett. We're gonna Monet was gonna be hard for the.
Title Texas too, right, Like she she wants to be on that show, like she's she's from Texas. She grew up in the l Passo seen like Tijuana and all that. Like she she's in that Texas crowd, like and she wants to be on that show for understandable reasons.
Oh yeah, absolutely, I mean, you know, hey, it's a perfect point.
So but.
You know, let's go back to what we're talking about, Like I don't know, Fighter Fast and even the summer blockbuster next week and even Grand Slam Mexico. There's some AW wrestlers that are just sitting there that may or may not be ready for return. There was a report about Wardlow on Fifel earlier today saying that Wardlow is
clear to return and can return any time. The problem is is that Wardlow and they didn't I didn't see what what show it is, But Wardlow's got a role on a TV show, and and so it doesn't make sense for him to come in and wrestle right now with AW when he's not going to be able to contractually, you know, be there for AW because he's going to be filming for his TV show more often than that.
So but there was also reports, and it's been conflicted because I saw a report that Juice Robinson was backstage at double or nothing. And I've seen multiple reports on that because some people are saying that he is ready to come back and ready to go, but I've also seen reports that he's actually not really ready to come back. But you know, look, when you're looking at some of these wrestlers that have not been on TV for a while, some due to injury, some due to storylines and time off,
they don't have to come back and wrestle. They can come back and just be a mouthpiece, you know, until they are ready to wrestle. You could throw Eddie Kingston into that all. By all accounts, it doesn't seem like Eddie Kingston is one hundred percent there ready to go yet. But why can't he come out and and you know, flap his gums at Moxley or whatever, you know what I mean. Uh, so you've got that, you know. On
the women's side, Camille, she's stolen the contract. Why don't you use her to just stand there and stare down Megan Baine without saying anything, you know, for a couple of weeks. Because I think we can all agree we'd like to see Megan Baine and Camille either become partners or I don't want coming back.
I'm sorry, she's just not good enough to hang with everybody else.
Yeah, I think she's I think she's uh, she's just not at it. I wasn't impressed with the run when she was there. If they bring her back and she needs to do anything, it needs to be with Monette, and don't go up with Meghan because in that in that battle, she's not even close to ready, not even close.
You know, you can argue either way. I mean, when you go by experience, Camille has a lot more experience and has been a champion a lot longer than Megan Bain has in her career. You know, you got Adam
coland you've got Adam Copeland, You've got Christian Cage. It really hasn't been done anything in Ring in a while, and I think we're all expecting a Christian and Adam Copeland reunion of sorts before both of them get you know, too old to do anything contruy, you know, or contract, and even their contracts may run out before before they do anything like this. Look, uh, there's all kinds of things that can happen in aw especially like tomorrow night or you know, over the next few weeks.
Anybody know the status of Keith Lee. I would love to see him that I miss.
Yeah, I'd like to see him. To be honest with you, if what is wrong with him is true where he has a heart some kind of heart condition, don't expect him back anytime soon, sudden.
Let me break in her. Keith Lee did come in and say just this week that he's feeling a lot better and he's and he is planning on coming back. Cool yay, So that's not now he did he say when? No, but you know that's that you also have Look, we just had Harley Cameron get a k fabe injury because she wanted to take some time off, which is great because she's been, you know, frankly since October, she's been on TV practically every week. She's she's done tremendous work
and she deserves some time off. Uh Ta Mellow was told to get ready she's coming back basically, so, uh we may see tam Ello come back, you know, to join up with Anna Jay a little bit.
You know, you think we're going to see a full fledged up Bang Bang Gang reunion. I would pop for that.
I'd love to see it.
I would love that well, you know, Jay White has a broken leg. As I said earlier, Juice Robinson is a little bit banged up, I guess is the best way to put it. Still, and he's not as close as if people are saying.
That he is.
Thank you, this is this is true together. Yeah, but Tony conn really doesn't do that. He does he puts people on TV when they can actually go on TV and wrestle.
Yeah, maybe we start a little bit because there's a lot of fan interest in a lot of people that we don't see and it would be nice to know where they are. I for one, would love to know what Eddie Kingston is doing. So I mean, put them, put them on TV talking crap, you know, just just for a second, keep them in mind.
I think they did have him on for a second leading up to the All In thing last year with with Swerve and Danielson. Yeah, just for that one segment.
I think, just keep keep them in our minds, keep our interests going, you know, the anticipation of when are they going to be back in the ring. You know, I'd like to know what some people are doing when they're not in the ring, and you know what's.
Happening exactly, you know, and I don't have a problem with that. I mean, look all out last year sky Blue came out and crutches it actually got involved in a bump. Yeah, there was only a short segment, but hey there's sky Blue. Yeah yeah, you know, so, I mean, you know it makes sense. I mean, you can't just do it for gratuitously. It has to make sense. But yeah,
why not. We've talked about this before on this podcast, but it does seem like I'm kind of I'm more and more on defense about this as time goes on, a women's tag team division? Do you think this is ever gonna happen?
Though?
I mean, there's been so many opportunities, and Tony Kahan, as something will tell you, is one of those guys that he takes his time when he does anything, and it does seem like he is building toward a tag team division and maybe by twenty twenty seven will actually get it.
I don't know, show there fifth anniversary show of Man's entrance into WW or a W will be when we get that tag team's division. I mean, honestly, he takes his time, but you got to admit that over the past few weeks he has been showing more and more where he's tagging women up more so than he usually does.
Oh yeah and Meghan and uh yeah, Penelope and Meghan and h then Anna and Harley. They've put on like two matches, like one at the pre show and then one last week, and both of them were absolute bangers. If that's like just a taste of what a whole women's tag division would be like, sign me up.
Yeah, I mean we also just we just recently had sky Blitt and Julia Hart get back together literally on collision and they're tomorrow. Yeah, they are tagging tomorrow. And of course then you've got Tony sarm and Mina Shirakawa together. You've got Bekla that's sitting right out there, you know, waiting to tag with somebody. I believe, I honestly I've said. I made a post last week on the aw Panum subreddit. I'd like to see Hikaru Shida, who seems to be
coming back soon, she's had visa issues. I'd like to see Shida decla and a heel tag team. I'd loved to see Cheta. I've loved to see Shiita turn heel.
Yeah, you know, and I put them right up against sky Blue and Julia Hart because if I'm not mistaken, it wasn't Cheetah that you know, accidentally put sky Blue out of.
Work for a year.
Yeah, yeah, in that Esports Arena run.
I'd like to see Anna Jake I'm back, you know, from her Broken Nose and team with time Ello because AJ is a OG team and that kind of leaves Harley Cameron out. But Mercedes Monet is right there for Harley Cameron. And I'm sorry, even though Mercedes Monet is the standard. I guess as far as who aw is going to push through the moon, if you're gonna do that, you don't put somebody like, I don't know, Willow Nightingale
with Mercedes Monett. Mercedes Willow Nightingales gonna be with Chris Statlander obviously, but you put somebody that's going to benefit from Mercedes Monett name on this, and I can't think of anybody that deserves it. Board and Harley Cameron, she's worked her tail off.
Like Harley did more to get Mercedes over than Mercedes is done in or out of ring segments. She really did. That was great little program.
Love it.
I mean, well, let's face it, with Tony Storm versus Mercedes Monet at all and people have been saying, oh, they're gonna announce it, and I would love for them to announce, you know, TK to announce a women's tag division tournament that culminates at all In.
Uh.
I don't think he's gonna do anything that's gonna take away from that match at all in. I really don't, because that match is probably one of the biggest selling points for all In. You know, and you know, and I mean, come on, Mercedes Bone and Tony Storm and women's in the women's division. You just cannot get bigger than that. You just can't.
Plus, there's not enough time to set up a tournament like that's you believe it or not, because time is horrifying. July is next month. But it'd be a great thing to do like after like they may be the biggest, biggest show of the year, but you need to do you need to do stuff after and the great thing to do after all in, I'd.
Like to see the women's tournament if they did one tag team tournament culminate at forbidden door, because you could have a tournament in stardom, for example, UH, with a couple of startup teams being in this tournament, and they wouldn't even have to come to the United States.
Kocaman Hazuki are actually on hiatus from stardom right now and working internationally, so they would be available to come to the United States.
Who is I would like to see him started at Forbidden Door and run through all out the month later. That way you could actually get some international team involved through the Forbidden Door and then possibly can you know, have it they're going to be in London for Forbidden Door, not as many restrictions to get movement there for different groups too.
Yeah, for they if.
They started it at Forbidden Door and ran at that month and until all out, you'd have I think you'd have a wider selection of women because I don't know, it's just it just seems that to me to get a tag team. I'd love to see a women's tag team division, but I just don't think Tony Kahins the way he runs the women's division, I don't think it works right now. I really don't.
Eight teams, it's tough to come up with. You can come up with.
You can come up with probably as many teams as there are women on the on the roster if.
You really want to. But yeah, yeah, you got two other.
Belts that you have to also keep people in. And he's not doing a great job with the women's belts, he really, I mean, you have the same eight women going for two belts for the last year. That's another work that's not working your women's division well. And don't know, you know, you had some injuries in sky Blue who could have got a shot at the title, and Julia was out for a little while and Thunder came back
and she was rough coming back and Hater's been hurt. Yeah, you had some injuries, but you have so that's that's part of the problem with AW They have so much talent they're just not using and they've got to figure out a way to start using everybody. Even if you give people two weeks off, if they come out and wrestle tomorrow and they'll wrestle again until the Mexico Show and you bring other people out the next week, that would be great because you'd be getting more people involved.
But until Tony figures this out, I think as a women's tag team division would just keep the women's division in too much, way, way, way too much mayhem, go ahead, I'm.
Sorry, let's guess to that point, Like what is Yukosakazaki doing, Like she's arguably a top ten wrestler in the world, and she's under contract and she's working indie shows, Like what is happening?
You know?
Yeah?
And where are those two sisters that we're going to wrestle with? Mercedes Monette At one point, like.
I believe Charlotte's still she has a severe injury.
I was wondering what happened.
It might be back soon, okay, Like I know.
She's been interviewed and she says she's perfectly happy working backstage, but I still miss seeing her wrestle, and I'm sure she miss doing it too well.
If I if I have one complain about Tony Conn, it is probably the biggest complaint I have about him. It's it's the protection and lack of usage of the kind of monster wrestlers like, and that's everybody that's on the men zan women's side. He's way too protective with Nilo and are booking, and I think he sees like, oh, I don't have a way for her to get up and like get in this title mixed. So I'm just going to keep it on the shelf. I mean they do the same thing to the men's wrestlers, Like it's
where what's Lance Archer doing? And I mean Lance Archer is not like necessarily a top car guy, but like they're just he's so protective of kind of the bigger dudes. And I'm not sure if it's just concerns about the the size of the roster in general and kind of having these guys come out and lose two smaller guys, but it's always kind of been an ongoing theme.
I think it might be the fact that because that's what w W Easting's always been. Vince was a big man thing. You were a big guy, you succeeded regardless of who you were. That was what WWE was. And I think Tony Kahan might avoid the big guy syndrome for that fact, so that he's not looking like because so people don't call and say, ah, Tony's just using these guys like Vince used to do. He doesn't, you know what I mean, That's what it seemed like to me.
Yeah maybe, And I never thought i'd say this because I didn't used to like him, but he sort of won me over more big Bill please, I haven't.
Yeah, so over, I think I.
Think that the don Callous Family is a good way to get a lot of women out there. The Callous Family is good. I can't stand stand them, but they could put a couple of women into the family and have some more women wrestlers out there that way.
So that's my thought, was something to get some some women involved in hurt so actually.
Show to be honest about that, they need another two hour show they have.
And what they do.
I don't necessarily agree with that, but I think too much wrestling is too much wrestling, and it's not really beneficial. Well yeah, I mean, look, we have Decla coming back tomorrow night, and you know, wrestling your first match of MYRT night. It's going to be a squash match because they haven't announced who she's wrestling, but Decla's coming back. I wouldn't be surprised at all to see a program with between her and Athena, because that's Athena's match in
her home state at all. Ind she's got to be there too. I don't like Athena and thunder Rosa doesn't make sense, but Athena Decla a rematch between those two because They did wrestle at Wreussell Dynasty earlier this year January fifth, and Decla, I mean Athena did challenge decklad rematch even though she won, she challenged Decklador rematch, but this time in the United States. I think they had that seed planted back then. I think that's what's what's
gonna happen for Decla. You know, I think that's the long play.
Ah.
But Decla, Look, she just took out Jamie Hayter, and people were saying that there's gonna be a Decla Jmi Hayter pewd. Now she took out Jaccla. She took out Jamie Hater, because that's what Decla does. She takes out people, all right. She as soon as she took out Jamie Hayter, she immediately took the Twitter and said me to Shira Kala,
you're next. So even though Dekla is in a squash match probably tomorrow night, I wouldn't I wouldn't put it past her to show up in the uh Tony stored me to Shirikala against Ky Blue and Julia Hart match and take out me to Shira Kala.
That'd be fun. Like I'm I'm.
Bad me.
I am not familiar with stardom. I'm sorry, but this this means Tekla is brand new to me, and I've seen her for all of thirty seconds and I thought she was incredibly cool. I want to see more of her.
The thing about stardom okay.
For me.
You know, people say all the time, Oh, the aw women's roster is stacked, Oh, the WWE roster women's roster are stacked. Oh the NXT roster are stacked, and oh the ROH roster in the women's division is stacked. None of them compared with stardom. I'm sorry, and I believe that wholeheartedly. The talent, the work rate, whatever.
Uh.
The thing with Thekla is, uh she's very similar to Minashikawa as far as where she stood in stardom. Uh Mina Shehrikala did elevate herself a little quite a bit higher than Tecla was and started, in my opinion, but uh Mina shirk Kwa for most of her run and stardom, she was a mid carter. She was not, you know, one of those beasts. She wasn't. She didn't carry the show was at her face. Really, it was a little bit lower. I would say the Mida shirk cow had
start them her. Her character that she had just did not work in stardom for whatever reason. I loved it personally, but it didn't work and Startom So I don't know, Homosarty. Do you watched Stardom?
Uh yeah, I watched a decent amount. I'm mostly TJPW guy, but I you know, I'll watch whatever's on Wrestling Universe. I'm mostly extend I TJPW, but uh yeah, I watched pretty decent amount of started.
I do watch. I haven't kept up with t JB TJPW recently, but even t JPW they're stacked.
Oh yeah, they are now for sure. In the last couple of years especially they've Yeah, Takagi, that guy. Nobody finds rookies like that, dude, And I mean Cheri Ka was one of those, right, Like she was a model. She was a thirty two year old rookie coming in. Yeah, and she, you know, really reinvented herself and she's she's going to be big for the company because she There's a lot of people who do a little too much. I think in Aw need somebody to base for him.
You don't have to base for anything. That mean shark Kwa does you just got a bump? So she she's going to be out there having good matches with everybody. Yeah, I think she's going to be a big impact player for them.
The thing about that CLA for me is she's small. She's not a big woman. She's very muscular, you know, and she's very flexible, you know. I mean obviously if you saw her debut, but she's five to one, she's the same high as ReHO. She's not a tall woman, but she's type. She's the type that what I say, she wrestles tall. She could go against me to share, not me to share Kwa, but Megan Bain, no problem,
no problem putting putting Techlo against Meghan Bain. You know, Chris Statletter, she'll hold her own because she's she's that athletic. But the problem is is she going to be believable at five foot one and what is it one hundred and fifteen pounds? You know, So that's that's the drawbackward. But her character is where I think people are going to fall in love with Techla.
Yeah, we she was a little miscast and starting like not to totally defend her work, in the ring there, but like not Skotora is a great wrestler and she never gets to wrestle. Like that's just the role of hate, right, Like Sayakamatani gets a past because she has the red belt, so she gets to wrestle the big matches and stuff, but like most people in hate are not there to wrestle. They're there to grind stuff out and screw up matches
and like that's that's Japanese bullet Club. Like she she had pretty decent work rate when she was in d d M. Before Julia left, she she was okay in that. I think she she showed a little more, but you know, it's that's that's just kind of a way to tie slash hate, Like that's just what they do. They don't.
Know.
Julia and uh Tackler. We're in uh d d M Donaldo Mondo and they formed a tag team called Mafia Bella and they worked really well together.
Uh they were both from Ice Ribbon prior.
To so yeah, so they they did really well. The one thing that I'm looking forward to the most is if they put a microphone in deckless hand tomorrow night, because tackle is just on the normal day, her microphone promo persona is god.
It's like Lady Gabe Kid. She's a putty mill.
Yeah, I would, I would say gay kid out a bad day because she just she has no filters. She is a censor's nightmare. It's yeah, I don't know. But anyway, let's let's go to our pot p reseect. But we can talk about anything. We can talk about fighter Fest, tonight's spider Fest, we can talk about whatever. He doesn't even have to be you know, aw related. Does anybody have a pop Marie want to bring up?
How about Bear Bronson and and his thoughts on a you and not being used. He did an interview I think he did a podcast where he said that he was not used to his full potential. He was told that he would not go any farther than where he was now, and everyone was telling him that he just needed to be grateful for the time he did get in the ring and kind of not to aspire to do anything more. And if that's true, that's not very
nice because people though, I mean, it's not nice. I mean people have hopes and dreams and aspirations and just to tell somebody, well, you just need to be satisfied where you are. I mean, that's not you know, that doesn't make to me that it makes someone want to work harder. You just kind of show up and don't
put your all into the matches. You're just there. And I think that begins to show, you know, outwardly to us fans, we've all seen a wrestler too that just seems like they kind of showed up five minutes before the match started and don't really care what happens. So it's I don't know it. It just rubs me the wrong way a little bit. I saw his point where I can see his point too.
I mean, but I mean, I don't know about you, but I've never looked forward to a Bear Bronze match ever in my life. Yeah, for truth to it too. I mean it's a cutthroat business.
Yeah, yeah, kind of talk in some ways some to some degree to that's like indistinguishable from an angle right, Like he's trying, he's trying to get booked, he's trying to draw interest, like he had an unfortunate I think they they liked, I forget what they were calling Bear Country at the end. I think they liked to use in them as kind of a low card gatekeeper tag team, and then the very unfortunate effect of what went down with his partner a couple at the same time with
him being severely injured. You know, he was in a bad he was in a bad spot.
Yeah, he was guilty by association, which was really unfair.
Yeah, and that sucks, but it's the way it goes. I mean, that's what you find out in any wrestling federation. Now there you're gonna be if you're part of the tag team, you're going to suffer that. And yeah, it's not cool, but it was an interview done to a person who'd been let go. And can we really take what he's saying as being the truth or is that something that, like you said, Homer, is it just he's saying it to try to build himself off up to get attention.
Mm hm, call him hover over. Yeah, it's just it's just wait, because that's what you are. You are forever you are Now. I am literally.
Do that.
I'm literally calling him Homer from now on. God, I love this team anyway, anybody else have a pop?
I do, go ahead, some of the Avengers. What is it going to take for Iron Man in Captain America to get on the same page. By that, I mean, what is it going to take for hang me in Adham Page and swear Strickland to set aside their grudge for the greater good? Will is trying, God bless him, but it doesn't seem to be working very well.
About three weeks, that's what's gonna take.
About three weeks, that's that's a very good point.
It's good you've got about You've got about what forty there was forty two days on Sunday, So you're just seven weeks. You're under seven weeks away. Yeah, yeah, so you're six.
Yeah.
So when you get to that three two to two to three week marking between there, that's when they're going to figure out something. Something's gonna happen. I don't like when people are sitting there saying, well, Will's good, turn heel. He's not turning heel. That would be the biggest mistake you can make is to turn with will ospray heel.
There right now.
Yeah.
When someone earlier mentioned the fact that WWE is going through their heel stage, I'm sitting there going every freaking title holder in ae W's is a heel. This is the heel stage or ae W.
But yeah, you can't meant the company as an end.
I know what you meant, but it was just that was sitting there going no, please, no, don't turn Will. It's not gonna take Will turning the heel. It's gonna take something that is gonna happen between Max's crew and them. They're gonna end up getting the crap kicked out of
him one night, and that's gonna turn them together. And about three weeks from now you'll see that happen, and you never know, it might be a Daniel Daniel, Daniel Daniel, that Brian Danielson might come out, or Eddie or a combination of the two, or even Darby because Darby's due to come back soon.
Yeah, nice to see Darby tomorrow night. I have a little bit of a different take on what it's going to take because you mentioned Will. I think I think it. I think it ultimately goes back to will Osprey. The problem with the will Osprey is nobody takes them seriously with that god forsaken haircut.
That he has No no, I told you.
We ago.
After after the taping of Collision last week, Ausprey hopped on a plane and this is on Osprey's own post he you know, on social media. He hopped on a plane and went to the UK. Got off the plane, Alex winder windsor his missus as he calls her, Uh, picked him up at the airport and said, we've got to talk about that haircut, like the first. It was the first. I love you, honey, I miss you, honey.
We've got to talk about that haircut. And he ended the post saying, I'm getting it cut tomorrow so we will see a different looking Will ask me because you know, I that haircut was just I don't know.
I was a white guy. I adore him.
I think the young bucks need to kidnaps were Stricklyn and Hangman rescue him and that's the that's the redemption arc there.
Yeah, I.
Don't mind there is being burnt because one thing that I always struck me as kind of awkward was that when Uh Kenny and Will like after like they both like after Kenny got back from being sick, Kenny is all like, I will never ever ever trust you. By the end of the night, I was wrong. This guy's a good dude.
Yeah, Yeah, is going to be based around a chant there's been a lot of chance going around. And I have a chant that I think I would like to hear tomorrow night, and that is, oh, crime a River. I really think, I really think that it's time for Jack Perry to come back.
Uh.
And I think with Jack Perry, I think that brings back Christian Cage, you know, into a more a more into the spotlight. I guess I think that with Christian Cage, you got Adam Copeland coming back, you know, from his vacation, kfabe injury whatnot, because he's not injured. He was at they There was a clear video of him miked up at the Toronto Maple Leafs playoff game in the NHL, and he was having a blast. Of course maple Leaves. He wasn't really having a blast because Maple Leafs got
killed the game he was in, but whatever. But you can see his clear disappointment in his uh, in his in his body language. But yeah, I mean we brought up Derby earlier. I would love to see Darby come back tomorrow night or on Fighter Fest, if not on fighter Fest, at least in summer Blockbuster next week. But I'd really like to see both. Look when you look at the Four Pillars of AAW. Sammy Guevara has been pretty much in ROH and the matches that he's had,
even the matches he's had at AAW have been ROH matches. Basically. M jaff has only wrestled twice this year. Jack Perry and Darby Olut have not wrestled at all in twenty twenty five. So I think we need to get these guys active. I guess it's the best way to put it. They are still the pillars so much as it is. I don't think they're really the pillars anymore, but that's what they are, you know, as far as the title goes. So that's my book three. I want to see Jack Perry.
Mjf's going to have a little, a little something to say at a page if, if, and when he wins the belt in Texas.
Yeah, don't even give me started. If Hangman Adam Paige does not win the belt at all in I personally don't think that anybody will show up for the next AW show. I just cannot imagine.
I would.
John Moxley comes out of all In as the champions, as the champion. That would be the single dumbest move that a president of a wrestling company could do, because I have been done with this for so long already. Yeah, that would be like the nail in the coffin.
And if they don't find that belt, I'm sick of that briefcase. I can't take it anymore, so that this needs to end.
Why I said this last week, and I don't know if you guys caught it, but at the end of that match, a double or nothing, at the end of anarchy in the arena, double or nothing. As the winning team Team a W was walk backing when they were kind of backing up the ramp. They were walking up the ramp, they were backing up the ramp.
The briefcase was laying right there, and what did what did Kenny freaking Omega do?
He kicked it.
I'm like, a stupid son of a bitch, I'm sick of I was. I was like, I was so pissed off at Kenny Omega. I was like, why did you freaking kick it?
Take it and run?
You earned it. Don't forget I told you. Just a couple of weeks ago, we were talking about Darby just because you want Hangman to win it. Darby was the pick when it first got started. That was tk's guy. TK is well known for following through on what he sets out in motion. So you're either going to have to have a three way with Darby at all in or they're not changing that time title with Death. I just don't see it happen.
I'm not disagreeing with you at all because it's too tk it. He very may well make that match a three way, which would be the dumbest decision other than happy Maxley win it.
Yeah, don't do that, I agree, I know, but you you know as well as I do.
We talked about it, when we talked about the whole Devil thing, you know, that should never happened. They didn't need to do that match, that match that the whole storyline had been dead for a year, and he still did it, and he kept the title on Jade Cargill until that came. Yeah, I mean, this is and I love Tony kN to death, but he's got some real weaknesses that really do hurt him in the end. The women to run the women's division, right, he's making things
and not being able to change from them. I have you know, I have no problem with the whole thing. That's going on. It's wrestling, it's it's what like Tony said, it's getting people there. They're having sales, they're getting sales, they're having they're doing advertise, they're making all their money and it's the same thing that's been going on for the last nine and a half months. He doesn't see
a problem with it. And until TK thinks it's over, which is not going to be till Derby comes back, that could very well what happened, And I mean, it's just unfortunately for a lot for some people. I mean, there's a lot of people that still enjoy what's going on, and there's people who don't. Everybody's going to have a different opinion. But you know, Tk's got this inch that he wants to do things the way he wants to do them, and he's not going to change his mind,
and so people might be real disappointed. Although you know, with it being in uh hang Man's home home territory.
That really well, no, he's from Virginia.
I thought he was from Texas. Never mind, that's just because for some reason I thought he I guess because he plays a cowboy. I thought he was. Yeah, a lot of cowboys.
Have you ever seen the Virginian. I mean, you're old enough to Virginia.
This is true, that's true.
If you don't think about that. I mean, seriously, I want a Virginian when I was a kid. But you don't think about that. But you know, I would love to see Hangman win that title, but I don't. There's just I don't know. There's just something about Hangman that just doesn't doesn't have him winning it for me. I just don't know what it is about him.
He's gonna win, he needs win.
And I'm saying Max is my favorite wrestler. I'm the resident Death Writers apologist, but I will be disappointed if hang And doesn't win because the story is too perfect. It just needs the perfect end day.
Jas. For the longest time, I was the biggest Blackpool Combat Club fan that you will find if you go on Reddit. My profile picture is still Blackpool combat Club. I just love the black Pool Combat Club. John Moxley was a part of it. I enjoyed it. I hate with every fiber of my being. Hate. There's no other word to use for it. Everything death Writers. It hasn't been from day one. I wouldn't mind if Sir Pentaco came out and accidentally won the title, you know, against
John Moxley. And there's no person, there is no wrestler male or female on the AW roster that I would say, No, they shouldn't be John Moxley. It to just reach into a into a hat and pull out a name and give them the title. Get that sucker up of John Moxley is boring. It is boring. It is boring.
Everything about the Death Writers, even their logo. Look at it, it's an owl. Owls are cool.
I pretty much when the death Writers come on TV, I sown out. I have no interest in watching them. I'll be honest with when it comes to all In. When it comes to all In, I probably will not watch the hat Him Page in John Moxley match.
Well, you're not going to see it end. Then I.
Will be so like, I'll have ada the entire time. I just be like, I will seriously be like, if Hangman Haddan Page doesn't win this, I'm gonna just be pissed off, genuinely pissed off over professional wrestling TV show. You and me both, you know, it's just like and you know, and I said it before and I'll say it again. When the Outrunners were getting their push. I said, point blank, if the Outrunners win this these a W tag team titles, I'm done because they I just don't
enjoy them. I don't enjoy them at all. They're great people, and I think they're delightful. They just suck in the ring. And you know the same way I feel about Eddie Kingston.
You know, now, let know any Kingston slander.
No, it's one guy. He's the one guy. You're wrong. If he was the one guy they brought out the gr that tight off mark that you have a fit.
Oh, if Eddie Kingston won the title off of John Moxley, I would not have a fit. I was very Any male or female wrestler in the company comes out and even accidentally beats John Moxley, I would not be upset. You know, like John Moxley falls and hits his head and like you gotta pin him. Well, he's he's on called bring the bell you won? You know kind of thing.
You know.
I was seriously, I mean I would be I would not be upset if anybody even accidentally won the champion of John Moxley's current run. And again, let me stress this current run is the dumbest run I've ever seen with an a with any world championship in wrestling. The only one, the only one that was possibly dumber was well, the two was Vince Russo and David Arcat, but they were short. They were short.
There are some people, though, that are one hundred percent behind this death Writers thing, like yeah, yeah.
I mean everybody, everybody has their taste in what's going on in wrestling. That's that's the way we always talk about that. I'll have a problem with any of it. I don't think it's that bad. It's a different way of doing things. It's been changed a little bit. I blame part of that on the fact that Darby has not been around for two months or whatever because he decided he wanted to climb the mountain instead of wrestling and said.
So.
Let me say this and I'll shut up about it completely again. My disdain of the death Writers, John Moxley's run with the aw World Championship and the death Writers as a whole is simply my opinion. And I don't hold anything against the morons who like it.
Okay, Okay, they're uh.
I's trying to sound like Jim Cornett, are you tennis racket in hand there, my friend.
No, no, because the difference between me and Jim Cornette is that I wouldn't be upset if Rehope beat John Moxley fort the a W World Championship, just.
For that fact. I think they should have real beating because that would piss off Oh.
A heart attack.
I think real necklace come out together of you and you his body to knock out Moxley and take the title.
I've gotta I gotta say one more thing, because Homer, what do you think about all this?
I think Death Writers is fine. I think the angle's fine. I his his title matches have not been great. His match with Copeland was bad, his match with Swerve was fine. People just didn't like the ending. It's you know. I don't think his matches have been great in general. Over this run. I think he has leaned into the MMA stuff, which I find incredibly boring. But as an angle, I think it's fine. I think they've done a little bit of a poor job telling it. I think Moxley has
been a big part of that. But the angle makes sense, right, Like the angle is essentially that like Swerve got our page got beat by fragile Phil and Moxley had to
come back and save the day. And then Swerve gets beat by fragile Danielson and instead of waiting around to get asked to save the day, he takes him out like even though that's his boy, they haven't done a good job kind of drawing that out, but overall, like that's why I think Page has to be the guy to win, no matter what, no matter what they had, and potentially in mind with Darby as kind of like an O G guy, there there's no fan support for that right now.
Yeah, the story, it's it's mox wants to be beaten. He wants someone to step up and prove that they are strong enough and hard enough to overcome all of the interference and bs and beat him and be that guy that the company needs. That's the story.
Yeah, Yeah, I think Swerve like to talk about like what do these guys need to do to get together? I mean a little bit. It's got to be Swerve understanding that he failed in the same way that Page did, and he needs to if he wants to get the belt back, who would he rather get it off of? Right? Like he if he helps Page win that belt like Paige's a match for sure, and certainly if you know he's he's he's in line for it, and he's not
going to get a rematch with Moxley anytime soon. So I think he's got to get over the selfishness and hard feelings a little bit and understand that, you know, temporarily, it's a it's a thing that benefits him.
That's a good point.
No, Honestly, one of the things that people don't talk about with the death Writers is they're called the death Writers. Why they come into the arena on the back of a pickup truck. I mean, it's not really you know, it's it's really not I don't know. Well, no, why why is it death right? Why is it called the death Writer? It doesn't do anything like that.
Yeah, they're just riding around in.
That truck because that's what Max's nickname in Japan was, and he just sort of applied it to the whole group because it sounds cool.
Yeah, Ultimately, we have a group that rides the back of a pickup truck, comes out what they championship belt that hasn't been seen since I mean this post. When you think about it, somebody if a baby was conceived because the championship belt was basically hidden right at Russell Dream last year. If a baby's conceived on the night of Russell Dream, when the AW World Championship was hidden, that baby would almost be born. By now. The woman
would be in her third tri master. It's been far too long since we've seen the AW World Championship and I don't care to hear another passionately incoherent John Moxley promo about it either.
Yeah, I don't want to talk about it anymore.
I don't think they're in coherent. I know exactly what he's talking about.
Yeah, I don't think there's any more Sea Legs and death writers though. I just it has.
Yeah, it's it's time.
Maybe there is no belt. Moxley himself is the belt.
Yeah, that's the point. Moxley is the champion and the ship.
When Hangman wins and he's gonna straps around his waist there you Yeah, that's sorry, he's gonna wear them.
Don't know.
The champion. Being a champion is a state of being. It's not a physical thing. It's something that's in you. It's what you are.
That's a good point. Maybe Moxley will give his earring to the new champion, and that will be the way that they go. You get the earring.
Yeah, maybe it's a new champion. Maybe the new champion will just carry around.
I don't know.
Yeah, maybe you get Wheeler Udah with this World Championship. You get the friendship wheel.
God fight in my respect, you may have my.
Yeah, miss be we were you know, the outpaca, that the dark haired oltpaca that wants to be a real boy. So z oh my god, is it the time?
It is? Uh?
Anyway, So look guys, uh Tonight fighter Fest four hours next week again four hours on Wednesday night, Uh, Summer Blockbuster and the week following that Grand Slam Mexico. After Grand Slam Mexico. We've only got like three weeks left
until till all in all in Texas. So this is a very important stretch for a w you know, I'm not gonna lie, it really is because because to Night Spider Fest is four hours long, we will not be doing all the talk after Dynamite this week, nor will we be doing it next week because it is again a four hour Dynamite next week, two four hour shows back to back weeks. Wish, but Anyway, we will be back next Wednesday for Ignition, so I hope you guys will will join us for that. Guys, thanks for coming.
This was a lot of fun tonight. We had to. We had some last and that's what it's all about. You know, we all have different opinions, but I think ultimately respect everybody's opinions, at least I do, except for the dumb ones. The dumb ones are usually mine, So come on, you know, so look, you know, I hope everybody will come back on Tuesday night next week, which is when we record this and so we can publish it on Wednesday morning. And so until then, h forty aw Fan Podcast Team. This is Kelson.
Good Night, everybody night, guess good night everyone, good night,