Tag: wrestling

Wrestling Recap: AEW Dynamite 10-16-19

by Josh Jackson

The third episode of Dynamite is looking to be its biggest one yet, with two tag team tournament matches, a women’s title match and an AEW championship match to close out the show. Plus, with Mox and Omega finally coming to blows, it’s looking like this is going to be an explosive show… Pun slightly intended.

SCU Vs. Best Friends

Before the match even starts, The Lucha Bros ambush Daniels and Kazarian before they can hit the ring! Penta hits a Packaged Pile Driver on Daniels on the ramp, but before Fenix can do any more damage to Kaz, Scorpio Sky runs out for the save! The refs are throwing the X up, so it looks like Daniels is out of the match considering he’s being stretchered out. Maybe he’ll pop right up with a Mandible Claw? Can a match end in DQ before it starts? I think I’m sensing how Jurassic Express beats the Lucha Bros later tonight assuming my prediction is correct.

To avoid having the match called off, Sky takes Daniels’ place. Best Friends quickly take over the confusion by maintaining control of Sky while neutralizing Kaz. Trent and Chuck Taylor are showing much more aggression compared to their previous matches, with a foot bite being followed up with a standing double stomp to the outside on Sky’s back. Kazarian tries to escape their corner, but is met with a Stacked Superplex for his troubles. Sky finally gets the hot tag, hitting an impressive athletic flurry despite fighting in slacks and one shoe. Chuck stops a dive attempt, but has his own countered when Sky pulls Trent in the way. Sky hits his own dive to both opponents before throwing his only shoe into the crowd. The crowd throws it back for some reason, then erupts in what sounds like a “We got a shoe!” chant. Kaz returns to hit a double team DDT before tagging back in, but Best Friends gain control briefly. Their signature hug spot gets broken up by Sky, getting SCU their first boos of the night. Best Friends retaliate by knocking Sky off the apron, then resume their beatdown on Kaz. Trent goes for a Piledriver onto the apron, but Sky returns to pull Kaz’s legs down, allowing them to hit a backdrop on Trent. Kaz and Sky then hit a sloppy looking Powerbomb / Dropkick combo for an anticlimactic finish to an otherwise great match.

I’m surprised to see SCU win here given the pre-match angle. It’s cool that the confrontation from the first episode between them and the Lucha Bros is going somewhere, but it also made the segment kind of pointless in retrospect since Sky opted out of being in the tournament initially. With SCU winning, the experience argument that was meant to exclude Sky proved to be ultimately pointless since they won with the “weaker” combination. Still, the pieces seem to be falling into place, allowing my picks, the Jurassic Express, to win the whole tournament. I’m guessing SCU attacks the Luchas during their match, then the favor will be returned when SCU loses in the next round.

Santana and Ortiz vs. Local Talent (John Silver and Alex Reynolds)

History is being made here as AEW’s first jobber match. The screen in screen during the commercial was dedicated to showing the local talent coming down to the ring, which I doubt was effective in keeping anyone from changing the channel unless watching people walk is your idea of entertaining TV. This is a total showcase for The Inner Circle’s resident tag team, showing off their athleticism and aggression as they dominate their opponents. Ortiz pops the crowd with some odd claw poses before hitting the age old Back Rake, then the two hit their Doomsday Device / Blockbuster combo for the win.

Chris Jericho is shown backstage and cuts a promo putting over his team, issuing a challenge to The Young Bucks on behalf of Santana and Ortiz at Full Gear. Citing them as the most dangerous team The Bucks have ever faced, you can comically hear Ortiz screaming “The Best!” repeatedly in the background. The promo was good, but it was a little hokey between the background screaming being almost as loud as Jericho and being able to see the camera man in the reflection of Jericho’s glasses. Is this why WWE has their wrestlers stand crooked during interviews?

Next, we get a documentary style video package focusing on Cody’s singular focus on becoming the AEW Champion. The gist of it is that he’s checked out of his Executive duties because of his focus on validating his decision to go independent by becoming AEW champion, but he still has his attention divided more than Jericho does. Despite that, his unparalleled drive makes him a threat so strong that it can make him a legend. It’s time to shelve the executive persona and become the wrestler he was always meant to be. Promos like this are one of AEW’s biggest strengths, and this was an example of why. In less than five minutes, it told you everything you needed to know about Cody’s chase for the belt, making Full Gear seem like a really big deal.

Britt Baker vs. Riho for the AEW Women’s Championship

Huge Riho chants to start. The two exchange a variety of holds and counters before Britt tries to use her weight advantage to pin Riho. The two break and seem a little lost, then a second lock up results in a Lock Jaw attempt by Baker. Riho rolls to the outside as they begin fighting on the apron. The two fight for positioning on the top rope, ultimately resulting in Riho landing a cross body. Britt rolls it into a pin, which is broken when Riho slides out from under and lands a low Dropkick. Riho hits her Roll Up into a Double Foot Stomp, forcing Britt to regroup in the corner. This gives Riho the chance to hit her Double Running Knees. She climbs the turnbuckle and goes for a top rope Double Stomp, but Britt moves and hits a Slingblade to take control. Britt’s running boot turns into a few roll up attempts from the champion, but a third roll up is revered into a Fisherman’s Neckbreaker and a Superkick for the closest two-count you’ll ever see! My heart almost jumped out of my chest for a second! They exchange strikes, then Riho ducks a Ripcord Elbow Strike into a Northern Lights Suplex, which then transitions into a Half-Crab / Ankle Lock combo! Britt reaches the ropes, but Riho wastes no time as she runs to the corner to hit her top rope Double Stomp for a 2 count! Britt refuses to stay down as Riho lands another Double Knee Strike to the back of her head, then one last attempt results in the champion running straight into the post. Baker hits her Ripcord Elbow and Neckbreaker, then hooks Riho in her her Lock Jaw submission. Riho refuses to open her mouth, but right as Britt hooks her fingers into the champion’s mouth, Riho rolls Britt into a tight pin for the win! A disappointed Baker stares down Riho before offering a handshake in a show of sportsmanship, with the announcers emphasizing that Britt will be back down the road.

This match started off a little sloppy, but once it picked up, it never slowed down. Riho is an incredible performer and while I’ve found Britt to be hit-or-miss, tonight showed why she’s been put in such a prominent position so early into this promotion’s life. I’m surprised Bea didn’t make an appearance to continue her feud with Britt, but that might just be me being used to TV title matches ending in DQ’s or interference spots. It’s nice to see definitive winners.

Jurassic Express (Jungle Boy and Marko Stunt) vs. The Lucha Bros

Wait… Luchasaurus isn’t in the match? The announcers are reporting that he’s suffered a thigh injury, completely killing the enthusiasm for this match for many I’m sure. Nothing wrong with Marko, but Luchasaurus is the clear star of the team. It’s going to be hard to accept these two beating a team like Penta and Fenix. My anticipated SCU interference better be convincing.

Seeing Marko go face-to-face with Penta is the first time time I’ve ever seen the latter look like a giant. Penta bullies him early, but Marko responds with his Floss taunt. Marko bites Penta’s fingers when the luchador does his Cero Miedo taunt, then the Jurassic Express hits some unbelievable double team offense, including some high impact DDT’s on both Lucha Bros, an outside dive and a Packaged Slam into a Splash. Jungle Boy tags in and hits a 619 / Suplex combo, but when Marko tags back in, both younger opponents are wiped out with some disgusting Superkicks. Fenix tags in and takes out both opponents with an unbelievable armdrag / top rop enziguri combo. Marko is left in the ring alone with Penta, with the smaller Stunt being slammed with a giant Pump Handle pinning combo. Marko kicks out, leading to Penta arguing with the referee repeatedly. We head to commercial as Penta continues to chop down Marko with a flurry of leg kicks.

Both Lucha Bros take turns slaughtering Marko during the break, including Penta pressing Marko over his head with one arm before throwing him into Fenix for a mid air Superkick. There’s something odd about listening to a pleasant voice try to sell me medication while a child is being mauled in the next screen over. With the way the announcers are talking, it sounds like the Luchas are heels, flying in the face of their popularity. Marko finally manages to squeeze in some offense with a Sunset Roll-Up around the corner post, then tags in Jungle Boy. “Jungle Jack Perry” as JR calls him shows off his surprising strength by suplexing Fenix all over the place, then tags in Marko to go for their double team finish. The Lucha Bros cut them off, with Marko being spun around by the hair like this was a Cesaro match. Penta breaks Marko’s arm, then hit the Double Stomp / Package Piledriver combo for the win.

Well… My prediction died a fiery death. The match was really well done from a moves standpoint, but while Jurassic Express were impressive, there was rarely a moment where you thought they might win. Couple that with Marko immediately tagging back in after getting beaten down for almost 10 minutes straight, and you have a situation where the action doesn’t match the events of the fight. Still, I enjoyed it overall, I’m just disappointed that Luchasarus is either really hurt or given a kayfabe injury to keep him from eating the loss.

PAC and Jon Moxley vs. Kenny Omega and “Hangman” Adam Page

This will be an interesting match since PAC and Moxley don’t seem to like each other all that much despite being on the same team. After Kenny’s incredible match against Joey Janela on AEW Dark from last week, it’ll be great to see him finally gain some momentum.

Mox cuts a pretaped promo dismissing both PAC and Omega while reestablishing the pecking order in AEW, declaring that he’s hunting his Elite opponent heading into Full Gear.

Once The Elite hits the ring, the pairs of wrestlers split off into their respective feuds, with the legal men starting consisting of Mox versus Omega. The crowd quickly switches from a “Happy Birthday” chant for Kenny to a “Fuck em up Moxley” chant within about a minute, rivaling The Big Show for the fastest turn in wrestling. PAC tags himself in and gets in a few shots on Omega before tagging Mox back in for some double team offense in the corner. For two guys who don’t like each other, they seem to work together really well!

Omega is able to create some distance and tag in Page. He takes on both opponents, springboarding into PAC to knock him off the apron, then hits a flying lariat on Mox. Moxley escapes a Deadeye attempts, but when Page climbs the corner for a Moonsault attempt, PAC distracts him, which allows Moxley to knock him to the outside with a brutal back bump onto the apron. As we head to commercial, PAC hits a dive over the top rope as their team shifts their focus to Omega.

We come back from commercial with Moxley continuing the assault on Page’s back with a Clover Leaf. Omega breaks it up, but PAC quickly throws him out. Page misses the Buckshot Lariat, then tries to hit a standard clothesline that Moxley no-sells. Mox takes him down with his own, which results in a brief double-down before both legal men tag in their partners. Omega dominates PAC with his signature Fireman’s Slam into a Moonsault, then nails Mox with a Dragon Suplex when he tries to cut off the momentum. Omega lands his dive to the outside on PAC, but when Omega tries to capitalize, Mox hits both his opponent and his partner with a running dive. Page sees his opportunity to hit his Moonsault, taking out his opponents in the process. PAC is thrown in the ring and hit with a series of fast paced double team offense, but Mox breaks up the pin attempt with a Dropkick to Page’s head. Page begins working on Mox, but PAC hits a series of brutal boots. Page quickly turns things around as he throws PAC to the outside and lands a Suicide Dive that King Cuerno would be proud of. That leaves Moxley and Omega in the ring alone, leading to them flat out brawling. The two both go down when they take each other out with a running knee / lariat exchange, but the match begins to go off the rails as Omega and Mox grab their barb wired broom and bat from last week. Mox gets the better of the exchange, but PAC breaks up the fight and throws the weapons out of the ring to avoid the DQ. Mox flips him off and hits his own partner with a Paradigm Shift DDT, then storms off into the back! PAC is all alone, allowing Page to get a measure of revenge for the last few weeks with a Buckshot Lariat. Omega hits a running V-Trigger into a Deadeye from Page for the win.

This match felt like it was executed as well as it could have been, with every story layer being addressed across the 15-ish minutes that the match went on for. PAC and Moxley eventually imploded, while Mox is established as someone who’s more interested in inflicting violence on his enemies than winning. PAC on the other hand takes pride in his win record and doesn’t want his partner to ruin that for him, all while Omega and Page managed to work together without letting their personal grudges get in the way of getting the win. It teased us with what we can expect from the eventual encounter between Omega and Mox while adding a wrinkle to PAC’s championship storyline, all while creating a new feud between PAC and Moxley. Just well done all around.

Next week will feature Private Party vs. The Lucha Bros, The Dark Order vs. SCU, Britt Baker’s homecoming, The Young Bucks in action and PAC vs. Moxley. They don’t waste time at all, do they?

Darby Allin vs. Chris Jericho in a Philadelphia Street Fight for the AEW Championship

I’m sure I’m not alone in seeing Darby as a real revelation on the AEW roster. Riding down on a deck declaring himself as the next AEW champion, I’m hoping Jericho makes him look like a million bucks, although we’ve seen he has no problem doing that himself.

Darby starts off hot, out-brawling the champion before hitting him with an incredibly fast dive under the second rope. Jericho lures him back into the ring and kicks down the young challenger, then begins wearing him down with some offense in the corner. Darby rallies back with some lightning quick offense before working Jericho down into a Canadian Destroyer that he really had to work for. Jericho slows him down with a Clothesline and begins to taunt his opponent, then throws Darby through the ropes into the corner at full speed, resulting in a nasty bump to the outside as we go to the last break of the night.

As the break ends, Jericho beats Darby down with a Kendo stick, eventually smashing Allin in the ribs. Jericho tries to hit him with it from the top rope, but Allin lands a punch to the gut. He reverses a lariat into a crucifix pin, then gets some revenge by smashing Jericho in the back of the head with the kendo stick after the kickout. Allin then transitions into a crossface submission, but Jericho powers out and turns it into the Walls of Jericho. Darby gets the ropes, but there’s no break since it’s a Street Fight. Despite that, ref Aubrey Edwards forces the break (?), leading to Jericho arguing with her as Draby recovers. Allin hits a cross body off the top, but Jericho goes for a pin that’s broken up by the ropes once again. Jericho then goes for a chair and begins dismantling his pain loving foe. The Painmaker props the chair into the corner and goes for a Lawn Dart, but Darby turns it into a Stunner! Jericho overpowers him once more and goes for the Walls of Jericho a second time, then sinks it in deep before Darby reaches the ropes once again. The crowd begins turning on the match, chanting “it’s a street fight” due to all the rope breaks, and to be honest, I don’t blame them.

Jericho’s desperation begins to show as he duct tapes Allin’s hands behind his back. Allin is ragdolled around the ring as the announcers tease a referee stoppage, (lol), but Darby rallies with a Lionsault and a suicide dive with his hands taped behind his back! He hits a spinning moonsault off the top rope for a two, again, with his hands behind his back. The crowd is back into it with a “this is awesome” chant, but Jericho kills his momentum by powerbombing Darby into his skateboard. Darby kicks out at two with less than a minute left to go… Could we be going to a time limit draw!? Jericho swings and misses with a chair shot, then Darby dropkicks it into his opponent. He goes to the top for a Coffin Drop, but Jake Hager uses the no DQ rule to his advantage by knocking Allin off of the corner. Jericho goes for the Walls of Jericho one more time, with the ref calling the match for the submission win. The show closes with The Inner Circle coming down to the ring to celebrate with a little bit of the bubbly.

Continuity issues aside with the rope breaks, that was a fantastic match between a focused underdog and an arrogant veteran who was completely overlooking his hungry opponent. This show made a star out of Allin, Scorpio Sky and to a degree, Marko Stunt, putting on a really good show that flew by before I realized it. It left me eagerly awaiting Darby’s next shot, where Moxley goes against PAC and what will happen when the Lucha Bros and SCU eventually clash, which is the type of anticipation you want as your show comes to a close. Apparently, Luchasaurus is really hurt at the worst time possible, but I’m sure Jurassic Express will be back in a big way .They’re too popular to ignore.

All in all, that was another solid showing for AEW! What were your favorite parts of the show? Any highs or lows you’d like to share? Let us know in the comments!

The Best Wrestlers Of 2018: 5-1

by Josh Jackson

This is entries 5-1 of our Best Wrestlers of 2018 series. Make sure to check out 6-10 and 11-18 and join the conversation afterwards!

5. Cody

Not that I’m one to speak for Cody Rhodes, but I’m almost positive that even he could not have expected how much of a success All In was. Setting records for attendance and merchandise sales while generating buzz rarely seen outside of a WWE event, being one of the masterminds behind the largest non-WWE show since WCW died in the US was only one of his accomplishments this year. Being the catalyst behind both the Golden Lovers reuniting and the Bullet Club breakup storyline when it was at its peak, Cody found himself in the IWGP Heavyweight Championship hunt more often than anyone else in 2018. But what really tops off his year in the ring was his historic win over Nick Aldis at All In, winning the title that his father held so many years ago and bringing more eyes to the NWA than anyone else has in decades. With All Elite Wrestling on the horizon, Cody’s looking to change the wrestling world for the better, and none of that would be possible without 2018 putting him in a position to do so.

4. Daniel Bryan

At this time last year, most of us assumed we’d never see Daniel Bryan wrestle again. However, the impossible happened when rumors of him coming out of retirement became reality. The leader of the Yes Movement was finally cleared to wrestle after years of therapy and second opinions, returning with Shane McMahon against Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens. Then… Nothing. A nowhere feud with Big Cass, a throwaway return of Team Hell No so they could lose to the Bludgeon Brothers and a long-awaited clash against The Miz that was bogged down by bad finishes and unnecessary inclusion of their less-than-stellar wives made it feel like clearing Bryan was more about keeping him away from other companies than it was about using him in any meaningful way.

That changed when Bryan went for AJ Styles’ kryptonite and kicked him straight in the balls to suddenly win the WWE Championship, ending AJ’s 371 day reign. This was the moment the Yes Movement died and “The New” Daniel Bryan blessed our screens. As an aggressively environment friendly wrestler who makes us feel bad for buying his merchandise rather than thrift, he has somehow went from one of the most loved figures in wrestling history to a rare heel who actually gets boo’d by most crowds. Alongside his blow away heel work, Bryan also reminded us that he’s one of the best wrestlers of all time, managing to look terrifying against Brock Lesnar, an opponent that towers over him, and making the most out of his feud with Styles by putting on some of the WWE main roster’s best performances. I’m hoping Bryan holds the title until at least Wrestlemania, He’s a case of a wrestler firing on all cylinders right before our eyes.

3. Hiroshi Tanahashi

TOKYO, JAPAN – AUGUST 12: Hiroshi Tanahashi celebrates winning the tournament final against Kota Ibushi during the New Japan Pro-Wrestling G1 Climax 28 at Nippon Budokan on August 12, 2018 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by New Japan Pro-Wrestling/Getty Images)

The joke I kept hearing throughout 2017 was that Tanahashi was being held together by heart and duct tape. For the uninitiated, the best way to describe Hiroshi Tanahashi is the John Cena of NJPW. When the company was in bad shape, Tanahashi carried the company through the mid 2000’s onward to become “The Ace” of the company. Over the course of his time on top, NJPW rose to prominance once again thanks to his unmatched ring work, off the charts charisma and a look that screams “rock star”. And let’s face it, you’d have to be all of those things to make air guitar look good. To continue the Cena parallels, Tanahashi has taken a backseat in recent years as Okada stepped up and took his place as the top star despite still being universally loved. No one would have blamed him if he took time off throughout 2017 and 2018 as he nursed a multitude of injuries, including a torn bicep. But despite this, he pressed on.

At first, 2018 seemed like it would continue to see Tana in a supporting role. He started the year against Jay White, failed at the finish line against Zack Sabre Jr. at the New Japan Cup and falling to Okada once again, losing his record of the most successive title defenses in the process. Then, the G1 happened. In a tournament that many figured would be a sure thing for Kota Ibushi, when the finals arrived, a spark of hope for The Ace set off an unstoppable flame, shocking viewers around the world and defeating Ibushi to win his third G1 11 years after his first victory in the annual tournament. Proving that he never lost his greatness in thrilling matches against a variety of rivals, The Ace closes 2018 on his way to a Tokyo Dome main event against Kenny Omega where he hopes to find himself on the top of the mountain for what could be the last time.

But what makes his journey especially intriguing is the dichotomy between him and Omega, representing different philosophies on how NJPW should move forward. On one side is the brash, arrogant foreigner who wants to “Change the World” by guiding the company towards a worldwide expansion on his shoulders with a Western influence. On the other is the traditionalist, the man who has carried the banner of NJPW through its darkest days for over a decade who knows that NJPW can reach greater heights worldwide by being true to itself instead of becoming something its not. It’s an incredibly compelling story that has dragged fans along for the ride, with people taking sides and arguing over who’s philosophy is right in real life. Win or lose, Tanahashi has managed to capture the hearts and minds of fans around the world years after we thought his time on top was up. That alone deserves all the praise we can muster, and even as a big Omega fan, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t pulling for Tanahashi come January 4.

2. Becky Lynch

The Man comes around…

In a year where the biggest female combat athlete came to WWE, it’s almost impossible to imagine that the Irish Lass Kicker, the same star who had been the designated pin eater in nothing tag matches, would become the most compelling character in the largest wrestling company in the world. Starting during a redemption storyline that carried her through the Summer, Becky racked up some much needed victories on her way to earning a title shot against Carmella at Summerslam. Unfortunately for her, her best friend, Charlotte Flair, was given a title shot after only one non-title win against the champion. She would make the most of that chance by hitting Becky from behind when Lynch would have otherwise won the match if it was a one-on-one match as originally scheduled. Seeing the chance she fought for crumble as her friend celebrated, she assaulted Charlotte in brutal fashion, all with the fan’s full support behind her after they had stuck by her through her uneventful months prior.

As with Daniel Bryan’s original WWE Championship run, the best storylines often come out of WWE when the company itself is fighting tooth and nail against what the fans want. Despite trying to portray Becky as a jealous heel, (the complete opposite of how the storyline played out), the fans only cheered louder, forcing the company to acknowledge Lynch’s popularity after weeks of trying to ignore or spin it. After coming out victorious against Charlotte and ultimately ending up as Smackdown Women’s Champion, “The Man” rose to even greater heights after targeting Ronda Rousey both on TV and through some compelling Twitter interactions, being the clear choice of the people even when up against one of the company’s most popular stars.

An unexpected punch to the face put the ice on the Ronda vs. Becky match at Survivor Series. What we got instead was one of the most iconic wrestling images to come out of the WWE in a long time as a defiant, (and apparently unconscious), Becky stood in the crowd to survey the chaos she brought to Raw. What was supposed to be a one-off feud on the way to Charlotte vs Ronda at Wrestlemania, there’s a very real possibility that Becky vs. Ronda could main event the biggest show of the year as a result of becoming the hottest feud in the company. This would be a first for women in the WWE, and even the speculation can be directly attributed to how Becky has taken the opportunity she found herself with in 2018 and did more with it than anyone could have ever imagined. The Man is here, and this run may ensure that her spot in wrestling history is firmly cemented.

1. Kenny Omega

G1 B Block Finalist. A half-dozen match of the year candidates to his name. IWGP US Champion. Closing out the year as the first gaijin (or foreigner), to head into the following Wrestle Kingdom as IWGP Heavyweight Champion. All of these accolades are more than enough to earn a spot on anyone’s best wrestler of the year list. But one victory in particular sets Kenny Omega apart from the rest of the pack when it comes to being the best wrestler in a very crowded field in 2018. That victory was against Kazuchika Okada on June 9 to win his first IWGP World Heavyweight Championship, ending the legendary 720 day reign at 12 defenses. Serving as the current cap on a year and a half long chase, the former junior heavyweight finally reached the top of the mountain against an unbeatable foe.

If that wasn’t enough of a reason to show how 2018 was the year of Omega, Kenny found himself at the center of some of the best and most talked about events and storylines of the year. Reuniting with Kota Ibushi, the distension and re-uniting of The Elite, All In, AEW, the feud with Chris Jericho, the Jericho Cruise, the split from the Bullet Club, (at least the start of it), and even E3 had Omega’s name all over them. Even then, all of this ignores a G1 run that’s in the discussion for the best of the year. When your competition consists of Ibushi, Naito, Tanahashi, Okada and Ishii among many other standouts, that’s noteworth in itself. Its especially noteworthy when you do it with a broken heel, which no one would be able to see if it wasn’t widely reported. Outside of the ring, Kenny was the subject of an upcoming HBO documentary that should be airing in a matter of months. To put it bluntly, Kenny Omega is easily the most covered wrestler that’s not in the WWE. Even then, he has more buzz around him now than anyone that’s not at the absolute top of the biggest wrestling company in the world.

Kenny’s ultimate goal in wrestling is to “Change the World” by helping expand NJPW for a worldwide audience. His clash of ideologies with Tanahashi that was mentioned before tops off what has been one of the greatest single years a wrestler has ever had in the near 30 years I’ve been watching from all angles. From match performance to big wins, storylines to accomplishments and character work, there was not a better professional wrestler all around than Kenny Omega. In a year that saw women’s wrestling rise to new heights in the US, stars of old return to prominence, new wrestling companies being born before our eyes and the conclusion of the one of the greatest title reigns of all time, it’s a reminder of how lucky we are to be able to experience history as it happens.

What are your thoughts on wrestling in 2018? What sections did you agree or disagree with? Any glaring omissions? Let us know in the comments, and here’s to another legendary year in the squared circle come 2019!

The Best Wrestlers Of 2018: 10-6

by Josh Jackson

These are entries 6-10  of our Best Wrestlers of 2018 series. Make sure to check out 11-18, and join the conversation afterwards!

10. AJ Styles

Only in WWE could a wrestler hold their main title for nearly the entire year and still feel underwhelming. On paper, AJ Styles should be one of the top wrestlers of the year, becoming one of the longest reigning WWE champions in history while feuding with some of the best wrestlers in the world. Considering his feuds were against longtime rivals like Shinsuke Nakamura, Samoa Joe and Daniel Bryan, and what we should have had was one of the best championship runs in years. Instead, these feuds were bogged down by months of repetitive rematches, stipulations that made no sense, matches revolving around dick kicks, screwy finishes and family stalking. Still, AJ remains a top tier wrestler who carried Smackdown as well as he could throughout the year, which is an accomplishment that bad booking can’t take away from him.

9. Kazuchika Okada

The Rainmaker had so much to gain at the start of the year, and so much to lose in the back half. Okada managed to continue his legendary IWGP Heavyweight Championship run through June, fighting off a very game Tetsuya Naito, Sanada, Zack Sabre Jr. and his longtime rival, Hiroshi Tanahashi. The latter defense was the twelfth defense that broke The Ace’s own defense record of eleven, cementing Okada as possibly the greatest NJPW champion of all time. The rest of his year was the story of his own overconfidence getting the best of him, losing the title to Kenny Omega after challenging him to a 2-out-of-3 falls that favored the challenger, and being double-crossed by his stable-mate who promised to stab him in the back as he was accepted into Chaos. The Rainmaker then became affectionately known by some as the “Baloonmaker”, shedding his robe, blonde hair and motivation in favor of balloons and a string of losses. Now on his way to rehabilitate his win-loss ratio with his longtime manager, Gedo, in the corner of the “Switchblade” that stabbed him in the back, expect a return to form in 2019.

8. Jay White

It’s clear that NJPW has a ton of faith in Jay White considering how big of a year he had right out of the gate. Re-debuting after excursion at Wrestle Kingdom 12 as “Switchblade”, the New Zealander wrestled one of the company’s biggest stars in Hiroshi Tanahashi on January 4th. From there, he would join Bullet Club, double cross Kenny Omega in favor of joining Chaos, become the second ever US Champion after defeating Omega soon after, and finally becoming the new “leader” of the Bullet Club after The Elite left the group. Oh, and he has Okada’s longtime manager / real life booker, Gedo, at his side. Finding ways to get the best of Tanahashi and Okada at almost every turn, White is one of the few heels that manages to get near universal hate when he walks through the curtain. After a shaky start, he’s grown quickly into the Switchblade character, stepping into the new year as one of the biggest foreign stars in the company. Not bad for a 12 month period.

7. Ronda Rousey

I mentioned Utami Hayashishita having an incredible rookie year, but Ronda Rousey managed to take the WWE by storm over the span of nine months. The UFC hall of famer managed to have one of the best matches at Wrestlemania in a bout that few expected anything from against Stephanie McMahon of all people. It was only up from there, having great match after great match against Raw’s top women’s stars until she managed to win the Raw Women’s Title after only a handful of matches under her belt. From there, she would become a fighting champion, taking on all comers until she eventually crossed paths with Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair, setting off what many feel is the hottest feud in the WWE right now. With rumors of Becky versus Ronda headlining Wrestlemania in 2019, The Baddest Woman on the Planet has been undeniable throughout her entire run so far. The only thing that hurts her is that she’s able to rehearse her matches far more than the rest of the roster, which I see as an unfair advantage. Then again, getting a good match out of Nia Jax not once, but twice is an accomplishment in itself.

6. Tommaso Ciampa

Ciampa is like multiplying with a negative. He was so hated throughout the year and reveled in it so well that his heat wrapped around to make him one of the most popular wrestlers in NXT. After making his presence known by screwing his former tag team partner, Johnny Gargano, out of title shots and even his career at one point, the Blackheart of NXT seemingly got his just desserts when he lost an unsanctioned match against his former DIY teammate in one of the best matches of the year at Takeover New Orleans. As the champ will often remind you on Twitter however, that didn’t count. What did count was every match afterwards, winning the NXT Championship and holding it with an iron grip, having incredible matches with a wide variety of opponents along the way. From Aleister Black to The Velveteen Dream and Otis Dozovic, Ciampa has proven that he’s one of the best WWE has to offer. Still, let’s hope he finally gets what’s coming to him in 2019 after Johnny finds his redemption.

We’re at the home stretch! Click here for our five best wrestlers of 2018!

The Best Wrestlers Of 2018: 18-11 and Honorable Mentions

by Josh Jackson

2018 will go down as one of the greatest years in professional wrestling history. Companies and performers around the world were reaching peaks that would have been hard to imagine even a year ago; redemption, rebirth, history, heartbreak and betrayal ran their course from beginning to end in the wrestling world this year, with exciting changes and a potential new company rising from the foundation created by this unbelievable spin around the sun. None of it would be possible without these influential performers and the impact they’ve left behind. Here’s our list of the top 18 wrestlers of 2018 based on match performance, storylines, win/loss records and overall influence throughout the year.

Honorable Mentions

2018 was one of the most historic years in modern wrestling history, with so many performers who would have been locks for a top 10 spot being shut out this year because of it. Even then, we can’t talk about 2018 without mentioning wrestlers like The Lucha Brothers (Rey Fenix and Pentagon Jr), who continued to travel the world and win championships across multiple promotions both together and individually. Jeff Cobb making multiple appearances for NJPW, winning the ROH TV Title, the PWG Battle for Los Angeles and wrapping up his arc as Matanza for Lucha Underground was also notable, while Chris Jericho had yet another career resurgence after having an early match of the year candidate with Kenny Omega before winning the IWGP Intercontinental Title and hosting his own wrestling cruise. Despite a rough year overall, Tetsuya Naito can’t be forgotten either after headlining Wrestle Kingdom 12 and having an incredible G1. Utami Hayashishita had one of the best rookie years ever in Stardom, performing at a standard years beyond her experience level. Seth Rollins carried WWE on the wrestling side of things before being thrown back into The SHIELD, and Roman Reigns finally conquered The Beast after literally years of trying. Finally, the most difficult exclusion on this list was Johnny Gargano, who put on match of the year candidates in NXT from beginning to end. However, he was hit with the one-two punch of constantly losing, then turning heel, only to continue to lose big matches. Unfortunately, great matches alone aren’t enough in a year like this.

With that said, we can’t talk forever. Well, we could, but we only have so much time! Here are the stars that made the cut:

18. PCO

No matter how long one has been following wrestling, no one could have predicted how much we’d all be talking about Pierre Carl Ouellet. When you hear about how someone has run roughshod through the indies to the point where they close out the year with a big Sinclair backed contract with ROH, the first thing that would come to mind is a hot, young star. Yet, after a brutal showing against WALTER at Joey Janela’s Spring Break 2, the former Quebecer, who was arguably most prominent in 1994 WWF, has remained in high demand around the world. Now as a member of Marty Skurll’s new post Bullet Club stable, we’re eager to see where the year’s second best comeback story goes through 2019.

17. LA Park

Known to most US fans as “The Chairman” back in WCW, the former La Parka had a similar career resurgence through 2018 as PCO. The difference is that LA Park never really stopped working. First impressions (and a couple dozen pounds) might lead you to think that Park is over the hill and reaching for one last shot at glory, not arguably the biggest star in Mexico right now. At age 53, the 36 year veteran is having the biggest run of his career, thanks largely to a high profile hair vs. mask feud with current Los Ingobernables leader, RUSH. Despite that match getting cancelled due to some muddied politics, it hasn’t stopped LA Park’s rise through the Mexican wrestling scene and beyond, having recently appeared for Impact and MLW. If the RUSH feud would have materialized, the luchador may have made the top 10, but the limited scope of his run hurts him.

16. The Young Bucks

Like Cody, The Young Bucks WERE All In. When they weren’t wrestling in high profile matches against the Golden Lovers, the Gorillas of Destiny or EVIL and Sanada, often for the IWGP Heavyweight Titles after jumping over from the Junior division, they were masterminding what would become the biggest American non-WWE show in decades. Unfortunately for Matt and Nick however, they were often on the losing end of their bouts. Between that, the botched Bullet Club Civil War storyline and missing out on the World Tag League tournament, their contributions to All In weren’t enough to be higher on the list.

15. Tomohiro Ishii

As far as I’m concerned, Ishii has been one of the best wrestlers in the world for years. If one ever needed any proof of that, all you need to do is look at his 2018. Considered by many to be the MVP of the G1 based on match performance, the Stone Pitbull proved to be an incredibly versatile wrestler, putting on dynamic matches with Kenny Omega, epic brawls with Minoru Suzuki and even comedy matches with Toru Yano in a short span of time. Holding a rare win over Kenny Omega this year, the current Revolution Pro Wrestling British Heavyweight Champion is poised to ride his momentum into 2019 in a potential show stealing match at Wrestle Kingdom 13 against the next entry on this list.

14. Zack Sabre Jr.

Just! Tap! Out!

Considering how great of a year ZSJ had this year, him being out of the top 10 really shows how legendary this year was thorough the wrestling world. The protege of Minoru Suzuki has carved his own niche as someone who can believably beat NJPW’s top stars, moving him up significantly throughout 2018. The New Japan Cup tournament saw him running through the best the company has to offer, defeating Tetsuya Naito, Kota Ibushi and Hiroshi Tanahashi before putting up a strong showing against the nearly unbeatable Kazuchika Okada. After closing out the year with some fun, yet uneventful matches against his own Suzuki Gun teammates during the 2018 World Tag League tournament, the submission master is looking to get back to his winning ways against Ishii for the Rev Pro title.

13. Kota Ibushi

Ibushi’s year was one of ups and downs. Almost always hovering near the NJPW main event scene in one way or another, the Golden Star started off his year against Cody before getting sucked into the implosion of The Elite. Reuniting with his DDT soulmate, Kenny Omega, Ibushi’s guidance led to Kenny finally defeating Okada for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. Not one to solely play the supporting role, Ibushi was one of the best performers when it came to match quality all year, having classic matches against Naito, Ishii, and Omega himself, defeating the other half of the Golden Lovers in the G1. However, it was his unforgettable match against Hiroshi Tanahashi in the G1 finals that served as Ibushi’s highlight this year, even if he lost. Now, Kota is the NEVER Openweight Champion and on a collision course against Will Ospreay, but the looming doubt of whether or not Kenny’s partnership is holding him back leaves us intrigued on where he goes from here.

12. Asuka

The fact that Asuka had two historic firsts and is only number 12 on the list says so much about how WWE booked her from Wrestlemania to TLC. Starting off the year as the undefeated juggernaut who struck fear into her opponents, The Empress of Tomorrow went from winning the first ever women’s Royal Rumble, (an accomplishment that was quickly overshadowed by the arrival of Ronda Rousey), to tapping out in short fashion in a good, but quick match at Wrestlemania against Charlotte. After declaring that her opponent “was ready for Asuka”, it was all downhill from there, being directionless for months except for two embarrassing title match losses in a row to Carmella. Despite this, her popularity remained high, leading to her finally winning the Smackdown Women’s Championship in the first ever women’s TLC match, (while ironically being overshadowed by Rousey once again). Despite the best efforts of WWE’s writing, Asuka managed to remain a force throughout with two massive wins to bookend her year.

11. Hiromu Takahashi

As what might be the biggest tragedy of the year, Hiromu’s run was cut short in July when Los Ingobernables de Japon’s Ticking Time Bomb broke his neck in a match against Dragon Lee at NJPW’s San Francisco show. Up until that point though, Takahashi had a strong case for one of the best wrestlers in the world with an incredible run to match. After being one of the best parts in the highlight reel of a four way match from Wrestle Kingdom 12, Hiromu won both the Best of Super Jr’s tournament in one of the most insane matches I’ve ever seen against Taiji Ishimori and the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship soon after. If his year wasn’t cut short, I have no doubt that Hiromu would have been a top five wrestler this year, but for now, all we can do is hope for a speedy recovery for one of the most gifted young stars in the world today. Oh, and we can buy his hand drawn calendar too.

That’s it for the beginning of our Best Wrestlers of 2018 list! Click here to crack the top 10!

‘The Price of Fame’ Is Not Quite Worth The Price Of Admission

by Saintmort

I identify as a Christian. It’s very important that I stress this upfront because I do not want this review to sound like I’m bashing Christianity before I write another word. The story of Ted DiBiase’s redemption is a beautiful story and I hope to one day hear it told in a better way.

I identify as a Christian, but I also identify as a storyteller.

Simply put The Price of Fame is a poorly told story, which is a shame because it’s a very good story.

Above everything else, The Price of Fame is a tale about God and Christianity. It doesn’t shy away from this – the problem is that it sacrifices story to stress its message. This is a problem that I see almost any time that I watch a Christian film.

Ted DiBiase was (and will always be) one of the greatest heels in wrestling. The Million Dollar Man was so cruel and pompous that it became extremely easy to despise him (specifically when you were a kid). As an adult seeing the wizard behind the curtain, it’d be pretty much impossible not to love him as well. Few people were better at living the gimmick (for better or worse) and the art of method acting bleeds itself into every moment of DiBiase’s life on or off the camera.

All of this lead to DiBiase living a life full of sin. The sorrow of losing his father when he was 15 (his famous father Iron Mike DiBaise died of a heart attack in the ring) and a sudden wrestling explosion in 1987 lead to a life of drugs, alcohol and sex. All of this while he had a wife and three boys back at home.

The film is less about DiBiase’s wrestling career and more about his family life now that he’s found God and how that change in him extended to many of his friends (including but not limited to George “The Animal” Steele and Shawn Michaels). This is where the problem in the film’s pace occurs.

When there are wrestlers on screen, it’s beautiful and it’s real and it’s touching. Hearing the testimonies of these men are powerful and they set a beautiful tone. Shawn Michael’s story is particularly compelling. This is no surprise as Shawn Michaels is one of the most genuine voices in professional wrestling.

The problem is that these moments of real sincerity are broken by moments with the DiBiase family. It’d be unfair to say the moments feel insincere, because I believe the emotions and stories are genuine, but they feel like re-enactments of moments that already happened. It’s specifically rough with Ted DiBaise Jr. and his younger brother Brett. Ted over-acts his emotions, Brett suddenly changes from anger to forgiveness in a matter of minutes – it all just feels like a bad reality show.

Unfortunately, Ted Jr. is our guide for most of the movie, so these moments are far more frequent than any interview with the wrestlers. There are regular moments where Ted Jr. will sit down with someone and interview them and these moments will be followed with a talking head segment of Ted Jr. summarizing the interview we just saw with no real new information.

This is a documentary about redemption and it reminds us of this every step of the way. This is the ultimate flaw of the storytelling. Whenever it breaks down Ted’s debauchery in the 80’s, it immediately reminds us that he’s a changed man. It robs the documentary of any real pay off.

If I could re-edit this movie, I would tell DiBiase’s story. Linger on the drugs, linger on the back-stage stories, linger on the affairs… make that audience feel that feeling of complete and utter hopelessness and then from there build up the way the God changed and transformed his life.

Instead we end up with a film that wants to preach redemption without ever connecting with its audience in a genuine way. The screening I attended concluded with a 15 minute conversation between Ted DiBaise and Shawn Michaels which only further highlighted what this film could have been. Their conversation was interesting and charming and fun, while still being able to tab into both men’s perspective and feelings on faith.

I did not hate this movie, in fact there are things I very much loved. DiBaise standing at his father’s grave having a late night conversation specifically sticks out in my mind as a truly genuine and powerful moment. The film was simply not the movie that I wanted to see. I wanted a film about the dark side of wrestling and one man’s redemption from all of it. Instead I got a 90 minute sermon wrapped in a family drama that occasionally mentioned wrestling.

If you are a Christian, you will love everything this movie has to say. If you’re an atheist, this movie will not be converting you. If you’re a wrestling fan this film will leave you wanting more.

Maybe I’m just salty because my all time favorite wrestler I.R.S. (DiBaise’s old tag partner) never appears in any form outside of archival footage. Absolute travesty.

Horror Movie Night – Episode 76: Suburban Commando (1991)

by Saintmort
Hey brother, we watched you flex your 24 inch pythons and vote for the one non-horror film of the year for us to tackle, and you now get to ledgrop aliens all over the place while we discuss the Hulkster’s 1991 sci-if comedy Suburban Commando! You better have said your prayers, taken your vitamins and done the right thing, cuz the Hulk’s bad weave is coming to your spare bedroom, keeping it safe from litigenous grease monkeys, bad bosses and intergalactic warlords. If you’re not feeling these colorful Hammer pants, well too bad, it’s standard issue, soldier, on this episode of Horror Movie Night!

Feel free to join in discussion at on our Facebook Group or in the comments below.

Do you have a movie suggestion for us or just want to tell us stories about your experiences with the movies we’ve watched? Send them to us at HMNPodcast@gmail.com

Also subscribe to our podcast on Soundcloud and iTunes

WWE’s First Slam Crate Makes Sure You Ain’t Booty!

by Josh Jackson

The WWE Slam Crate has been hyped up for a few months now, marking the wrestling company’s first foray into the subscription crate business. From figures to shirts and pins, many wrestling fans were anxious to see what a WWE themed box would contain. Well, we’ve received our first crate, and the results are as varied as the many personalities that fill the roster. With that said, here’s what’s inside!

With all of the promotion New Day has been doing with this crate, it’s no surprise that the centerpiece of the first crate centers around the trio. With that said, I never would have expected what we got. As the debut figure for the inaugural Slam Crate, we got Big E, Xavier and Kofi riding a unicorn. It’s just as bizarre as it sounds, which is why it’s easily the highlight of the box for me.

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When you want to look like a Boss, a blue pair of Sasha Banks’ glasses definitely help. These are pretty much identical to the gold pair we can buy from WWE Shop, but it never hurts to have variety. All we need are the “Legit Boss” hand accessories and we’re good to go!

If you’re not feeling much like a boss, you at least don’t want to look sawft. This Lootcrate exclusive Enzo and Cass shirt will show the world that you’re a certified G and a bonafide stud, even if you aren’t seven feet tall. Cass’ frame made me think it was a Lesnar shirt at first, but the comical proportions work for the team.

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No superstar would be complete without a bit of gold, so with the Slam Crate’s debut pin, we’re getting the classic winged eagle! Designed to look like the classic WWF championship from the late 80’s to the mid 90’s, this hefty pin is incredibly detailed, with its only real drawback being that its size and weight would make it a bit impractical to put on a lanyard. But it looks so nice, I’d rather display it or frame it than risk it falling off at a convention.

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Representing NXT, we got two items showing off the future of the WWE. First, the NXT patch will let you literally wear your fandom on your sleeve, or wherever you want it to go! Then, a preview of the upcoming Topps NXT trading card line gives us a look at Austin Aries. Labeled as an “NXT Prospect”, the back gives a brief history of The Greatest Man Who Ever Lived. It’s a great way to introduce fans who don’t watch NXT or don’t follow the indies to a guy like this, even if it is weird that someone who has been wrestling for over a decade is being called a “prospect”. Still, I get what they’re going for.

Lastly, this crate has plenty for the Dean Ambrose fans out there. This giant belt buckle shows off the Lunatic Fringe’s prominent logo, for those times you’re feeling like stealing a hot dog cart or making friends with a potted plant. Speaking of plants, what has to be a close runner up to the New Day figure for the best item in the box, you can have your very own Mitch! While Dean’s plant may be gone, it lives on through this mini plant encased in a bamboo pot. Definitely the most creative item in the set, Ican’t help but be excited over seeing this bad boy sprout.

That’s all we’ve got for the very first Slam Crate! From some weird figures, to an incredible pin and a potted plant, the variety of this debut box is surprising. With so much to love, what are your favorite items from the box? Let us know in the comments, and don’t forget to use the promo code “Geekscape” for a discount on your crate!

Fantasy Booking – NXT Takeover Brooklyn II

by Saintmort

It’s weird, we’re just a day away from an NXT Takeover and for the first time in a year, I’m not too excited. This time last year Takeover: Brooklyn was arguably the best pay-per-view of the year and there was nothing but top notch anticipation going into it. But this year, with so many NXT Talents being drafted to the main roster and NXT only have about a month to introduce new characters and storylines… something is lacking. I don’t know if it’s this year’s Summerslam card being crazy stacked or what, but for the first time in over a year Takeover doesn’t feel like the must-see pay-per-view. But that doesn’t mean it won’t be amazing.

Let’s Break Down the Card to NXT Takeover: Brooklyn II (or Back II Brooklyn as Molly prefers).

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MATCH #1 EMBER MOON VS. BILLIE KAY

Some things you might need to know about these wrestlers:

Billie Kay – She’s Australlian, she dresses in dark blue, her entrance music is from Carmen and she was on Smackdown once. This is the extent of her character development so far. I can’t even tell you if she’s a heel or a face really.

Ember Moon – She formerly wrestled in the indies as Athena and I’m told she was amazing. Based on the vignettes she’s been featured on she’s potentially a cleric werewolf.

PREDICTIONS:

Matt Kelly – Ember Moon is going to win this. I know nothing about her but people so rarely lose in their debut match. If the impossibly popular Tyler Breeze lost to Justin Thunder Liger (in Ligers only NXT appearance) then the barely notable Billie Kay has no chance of survival.

Molly May – Ember Moon. Is it too much to ask for a 2nd or top rope ‘O-Face’ on Ember Moon’s debut night for the finish? I know we had to wait well over a year for Samoa Joe to hit a second rope ‘muscle buster’, but can you imagine if Ember comes in like, “I AIN’T WAITING, CHECK THIS COOL SHIT I CAN DO.”

Josh Jackson – Is there any chance that Billie Kay pulls through? No, didn’t think so. Ember Moon wins in a decisive way with whatever her finisher is going to be.

THE FUTURE:

Matt Kelly – Billie Kay will probably end up being the heel on NXT for a while now and Ember Moon I’m going to assume will be the person to eventually take the belt off Auska (but not right away).

Molly May – Once you’ve checked out the cool shit Ember can do, it’s fair to say she’s poised to be a big player for the women’s division and NXT as a whole. I wanna see her work her way up; put in some solid #1 contender’s matches against the likes of Billie and Peyton before she gets to the final boss, Asuka. You’ve probably caught that I hate the current NXT trend of foregoing character development in favor of assuming you know who these wrestlers are from their independent careers. Give Billie better reason to be evil than “I was on Smackdown once so I’m better than everyone here”. Let the crowd authentically fall in love with Ember so when she gets her match with Asuka, we don’t just care about that, but we cared about the journey she took to get there.

Josh Jackson – It’s obvious that Ember Moon IS the future of the women’s division, especially with the inevitable Bayley call up. I see her racking up the wins while the women’s division down in NXT rebuilds around her, since Asuka will be the only big star left… And that’s assuming her own call up won’t happen some time soon.

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MATCH #2 NO WAY JOSE VS. AUSTIN ARIES

Some things you might need to know about these wrestlers:

No Way Jose – Jose is a dancing machine. He looks like comedian Reggie Watts but with Andrew W.K’s flair for life. He’s awesome, trust us.

Austin Aries – Few wrestlers are easier to dislike than Austin Aries. He declares himself the greatest man who ever lived but doesn’t use the weezer song as his entrance music. Like I said, he’s easy to hate.

PREDICTIONS:

Matt Kelly – I want Jose to win because I love the shit out of him but I think story wise Aries has more to lose from losing. No Way is so beyond popular that a loss (and definitely not a clean one) shouldn’t have any negative impact on his career.

Molly May – No Way Jose, but it’ll be a DQ victory from Aries just beating the utter tar out of him.

Josh Jackson – This one is hard to call, because if Austin wins, then he’s right about Jose not being in his league. If Jose wins, then what the hell are they doing with a world reknowned talent like Austin? In the end, I give it the win to The Greatest Man Who Ever Lived via shinanigans. It’s the only way to protect both guys.

THE FUTURE:

Matt Kelly – Jose will continue to become more and more popular and eventually be the unexpected person to hold the NXT Title before going to the main roster where he will most likely get Breezed. Austin Aries should 100% form a tag team with Bobby Roode shortly after Takeover.

Molly May – This is the loss in the streak that’s gonna cause Aries to snap. He can’t believe he’s been made 2nd fiddle to Nakamura, and now he can’t even beat Jose? Aries is gonna start looking for a way to even out his wins/losses record again. And what better way to do that than to link up with an old friend who happens to be on fire and about to take NXT by storm in the form of Bobby Roode. GET IN, LOSER, WE’RE GOING WRESTLING. Aries and Roode rack up a series of tag team wins before their egos get the better of them and it leads to a match between them for bragging rights at the next Takeover.

Jose is just gonna keep being Dominican Andrew W.K. and that’s the best way to go through life honestly.

Josh Jackson – Aries just has to move on to something bigger. Like the previous match, I don’t feel like Joe has much longer in NXT, especially with the brand split creating so many new main roster spots. I feel like a main event push is in his future,while Jose moves on to a midcard feud with someone he can learn from. The loser of the Roode / Almas match, perhaps?

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MATCH #3 ANDRADE ALMAS VS. BOBBY ROODE

Some things you might need to know about these wrestlers:

Andrade ALmas – He was a former lucha wrestler and supposedly very good. Until about two weeks ago I forgot he even existed. He took off his mask, started dressing like Lou Bega and maybe wrestled three matches in as many months.

Bobby Roode – Bobby Roode has the greatest wrestling entrance theme in years. This is literally everything you need to know about him.

PREDICTIONS:

Matt Kelly – I’m keeping it short, simple and sweet. Booby Roode is going to win this. End of sentence. Sorry Almas but we all forgot you existed and your entrance song isn’t Glorious.

Molly May – Roode will reverse some sweet lucha shit into some sweet ground-and-pound shit for a victory.

Josh Jackson – This is Roode’s debut match on WWE TV, while Andrade has been a complete failure in the few months he’s been on the NXT roster. Is there any doubt that the former TNA champion won’t deliver with a glorious victory in his debut?

THE FUTURE:

Matt Kelly – Roode will continue to dominate and form a tag team with Aries for the upcoming Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. They might even win it and decide that their combined powers make them so great that it’s glorious. Almas will continue to be under utilized until they find a good partner for him in the Tag Team Classic (maybe someone from CWC) and suddenly we will all be really into his character.

Molly May – Roode is destined to become the successor to Joe’s status as top heel in NXT. Even if you aren’t familiar with his TNA work or any of Roode’s previous career highlights, his introduction promo and face-melter of an entrance theme have established him as the perfect future corporate champion. Cien Almas, however, is just the latest victim of NXT’s “babyface him to death after we signed him for being an incredible heel somewhere else” schtick. I’m not saying turn Almas heel. I’m saying just tell people who the hell he is. NXT has been majorly lacking character development, which is what I believe made it special and unique compared to the main roster for so long. They’ve been relying on the hope that you know his past work as La Sombra, and while that worked for Joe and Nakamura, it’s what really took guys like Zayn, Owens, and Balor to the next level in their NXT runs. I desperately want Cien to take the torch as a top face in the absence of most of the men that made NXT. Pit him in blood feuds with Aries and Roode before you let him at Joe. But you need to tell us who Almas is and why he’s bothering with all this first.

Josh Jackson –  I don’t see how Andrade doesn’t turn heel. Rejected by the fans, he has the perfect out to reinvent himself before he becomes permanently damaged. The suspenders and hat need to go, and he needs to sell himself as deserving better considering how big of a star he was in Mexico. Maybe he can be in that Jose feud I mentioned?

Meanwhile, assuming Roode doesn’t get the spot against Jose, I can see him either feuding with a returning Eric Young to play up their history, or gunning straight for the championship. Time will tell, but he’s going to be made into a big deal as one of the cornerstones of the brand going forward.
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MATCH #4 THE REVIVAL (C) VS. JOHNNY GARGANO & TOMMASO CIAMPA

Some things you might need to know about these wrestlers:

The Revival – This is our NXT Champions. They don’t look like much but they are crazy amazing and bringing back old school wrestling. Their catchphrase is no Flips Just Fists and if you just saw a picture of them you probably wouldn’t expect much but really, truly, honestly… the Revival is dope as fuck.

Johnny Gargano & Tommaso Ciampa – A little under a year ago these two came to NXT as “Team Free Agent” for the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic. They were just generic wrestlers in NXT for months but a handful of Promos and a Match of the Year worth CWC Match later they are the team you want to see succeed.

PREDICTIONS:

Matt Kelly – I know it seems too soon for the Revival to end their 2nd reign as Tag Champs but Gargampa are fire right now and need those belts. Smackdown needs a good team for American Alpha to throw around The Revival is that perfect team (who can always look like a threat).

Molly May –  The power of friendship… which is generated best by excessive punts to the face and death valley drivers will allow Gargano and Ciampa the victory.

Josh Jackson – If you would have asked me two weeks ago, I would’ve said that our indie darlings would have had a good shot at pulling off the win. After their Cruiserweight Classic match however, it seems like miscommunication will lead to a Revival retention, followed by Ciampa turning on Gargano.

THE FUTURE:

Matt Kelly – Ciampa and Gargano are going to be champions for a while. The Revival will get a “Pre-going to Smackdown” rematch and then these two will be unstoppable until Team Gloriously Great decides that a perfect duo like them deserves the belts to prove they live up the Tag Name I just made up for them.

Molly May – Gargano and Ciampa had one of the best matches of the Cruiserweight Classic so far (and that’s saying something; there are a LOT of worthy ‘best matches’ in that tournament) and it only made them stronger as a team. I love that that match showed what level of aggression they’re capable of unleashing on the Revival. Up until recently, while tag teams across the board have had some decent squash matches, none of them have had the backing that teams like Enzo and Cass, the Vaudevillians, and American Alpha had. I feel like the Revival has really come into their own as characters and as a team. They’ll be just as strong a presence without the belts (although I will miss “clink me”), and I feel Ciampa and Gargano have awesome title defenses against TM-61 and the Authors of Pain on the horizon.

Fingers crossed they #GloriousBomb Roode in the middle of his entrance.

Josh Jackson – The Authors of Pain can’t stay out of the title picture for much longer. No matter who wins, Paul Ellering’s new team will be gunning for the champions. Based on my prediction, I’m guessing Gargano and Ciampa feud with each other, while The Revival find themselves being out-heeled by bigger, badder guys. Does that mean they’re turning? Not necessarily, but I see them being the de-facto faces going forward.

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MATCH #5 ASUKA VS. BAYLEY

Some things you might need to know about these wrestlers:

Asuka – You know the Ring? Know how that made Japanese girls terrifying? Asuka is the Ring Girl… but with Rainbow hair. She’s the scariest gorgeous girl ever.

Bayley – Bayley is the definition of face. She loves hugs and wrestling and hugs. She was the former NXT women’s champion and she lost her belt to the brutal Asuka. She’s getting her rematch finally in a quest to be the first ever 2 time NXT women’s champion.

PREDICTIONS:

Matt Kelly – Last year was Bayley’s year and it really started in Brooklyn. If you haven’t seen Sasha Banks vs. Bayley from last year’s Brooklyn match… do so. It represents everything that makes wrestling great. But that was 2016. It’s 2017, it’s not Bayley’s year anymore.

Bayley is going to lose, she’ll put in a good fight but she is going to lose and find herself a new home on Raw or Smackdown.

Molly May – Both women do a lot of damage with their respective submissions, but Bayley eats a few too many roundhouse kicks for Asuka not to get the pin.

Josh Jackson – This one is another hard one to call. We know Bayley can’t be in NXT much longer, suggesting that Asuka will win. But if Bayley doesn’t get the job done, who can they have beat Asuka with next to no build? She would either be stuck in developmental for at least another year despite being one of the best wrestlers in the entire company, or the crowd would completely reject her challenger when they smell the bull crap all the way from Full Sail.

With that said, the only way I see this going is having Bayley win the match after a hard fought back and fourth with a belly to bayley.

THE FUTURE:

Matt Kelly – Asuka will continue to be the NXT Women’s Champ until someone steps up and stops her. Maybe that person will be Ember Moon or maybe someone like Liv Morgan or Billie Kay unexpectedly catches on and gets that moment. Either way, when Asuka loses it will be a BIG moment that means something. Bayley is going to the main roster where she will eventually be the WWE Women’s Champion, potentially by next Summerslam if not sooner.

Molly May – Bayley is off to greener pastures on the main roster. Even though she’s a good choice for first 2-time NXT Women’s Champ, there’s really not much left for her to do. Assuming this is Bayley’s last NXT match, laying down to let Asuka get the pin and continue to be the murder princess she is is the admirable thing to do. The women’s division is in good hands with the likes of Asuka, Ember Moon, Billie Kay, Peyton Royce, Nikki Glencross, and so on. I’m hoping this will be the show stealer, ala Nakamura vs Zayn, that it deserves to be.

Josh Jackson – From there, they can either say that Bayley is hurt from the match, or even promise to take on all comers, only to be dethroned on NXT TV by someone unexpected. Ember Moon would be the only real option. From there, Moon would have to destroy the women’s roster to build to a match with Asuka, where if all goes according to plan, Moon can win without it seeming unrealistic.

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MATCH #6 SAMOA JOE VS. SHINSUKE NAKAMURA

Some things you might need to know about these wrestlers:

Samoa Joe – Envision a big dude who you can tell immediately has the ability to beat the piss out of you. Now envision that despite his size he’s super acrobatic. Now envision that this walking murder machine also is wired in a way where he can justify every terrible thing he wants to do to you as being 100% the right (and only) option of attack. Scared? you should be.

Shinsuke Nakamura – Nakamura is a wrestler who dresses and moves like a weird hybrid of Michael Jackson and Freddie Mercury. Sounds awesome? Good because he fucking is.

PREDICTIONS:

Matt Kelly – Shinsuke and Joe will be a match that people will remember for years on end. It will also be remembered as the match that Shinsuke lost, or at least didn’t win the belt. This match will end with a DQ when Hideo (who should absolutely have had a match on this Takeover but someone remembered Andrade Almas existed instead) runs in and attacks Samoa Joe and reveals Joe to be who attacked him over a year ago.

Molly May – Hideo Itami interferes to pull Nakamura into a pin attempt on Joe. Joe still kicks out and defiantly gets Nakamura to tap to the “Coquina Clutch” while refusing to break the hold and staring Itami down.

Josh Jackson –  Joe has been one of my favorite talents for years, long before he arrived in NXT. Which is why it pains me to say that I don’t see him walking out of New York with the NXT Title. Nakamura is on fire, and while someone with the credibility of Joe would be the only one who could beat him at this point, he has accomplished everything there is to do in NXT. I expect Shinsuke to take the win with a… KINSHASA!!! You know, except we won’t get Corey Grave’s awesome call.

 

THE FUTURE:

Matt Kelly – Vince wants that sweet Nakamura cash on his main roster and he wants it there bad and ASAP. Nakamura will leave NXT without ever being the champ, but that’s okay. He will be the biggest thing in the known universe this time next year. Meanwhile Joe and Hideo are going to feud it out and because he’s a bad bad motherfucker… Joe will destroy Hideo and continue to dominate until he loses to the unexpected No Way Jose (over 50% serious)

Molly May –  Anyone else think it’s kind of weird how Hideo Itami doesn’t have a match at Takeover? I mean, he’s one of the names credited with building NXT to what it is today, he was in the title picture pre-injury, and his return got some pretty good hype. As much as I would LOVE the swerve of Hideo showing up to kick Finn’s ass at Summerslam for injuring him, I think it makes plenty of sense for him to get involved in the NXT Championship match. There’s enough history between him, Joe, and Shisuke for him to take a side, so should he come out and help Nakamura, it wouldn’t be a big surprise.

The surprise would come the next episode of NXT, when Itami reveals that it was Samoa Joe that attacked him before he debuted that night at Takeover: Unstoppable. Joe comes out to defend himself and tells Itami, “Wow, Hideo, I took you for smarter than that… You really think I acted alone?” 😉 DUN DUN DUUUUUUUUUN

Josh Jackson – Joe gets a rematch and loses on TV as his official goodbye, then moves on to take the main roster by storm, (hopefully with his sights set on a certain beast). Shinsuke on the other hand, will hold the title until Wrestlemania weekend, where Roode or Aries will take the title off his hands before his own main roster debut.

NXT TAKEOVER: BROOKLYN II is airing Saturday August 20th at 8:00pm EST only on the WWE Network.

The ‘Lucha Underground’ Season 3 Trailer Is Awesome!

by Saintmort

When Lucha Underground Season 2 wrapped up last month it left a lot of us with more questions than answers. Thankfully we don’t have question to long as Season 3 is just a month away already!

The Trailer for Season 3 proves that the greatest and craziest wrestling show on television hasn’t gotten any less crazy. Sword fights, fire-breathing dragons and Marty the Moth tied up in a basement are just some of the highlights in this trailer.

There’s a ton of questions that are raised out of this but my favorite question is “Why is Paul London dressed like a tripped out Willie Wonka!?”

That’s right! Geekscape’s favorite professional wrestler, The Hero of the Prophecy himself, appears in this trailer!

For those of you unfamiliar with Lucha Underground it is one of the most unique wrestler shows on Television. Unlike the WWE or TNA, Lucha Underground isn’t a wrestling show as much as it’s a TV show about a wrestling show.

It’s equal parts telenovella, Monday night Raw, horror movies, Kaiju and The Muppets. Lucha Underground also has a fair stronger sense of supernaturalistic fantasy. There are characters who are dragons, time-travelling spacemen, werewolves and the living enbodyment of death… and that’s just a handful of the weird characters roaming in the temple.

What’s the most impressive aspect of El Rey’s most popular series is that despite the supernatural elements, despite the craziness of the matches? It’s the most well thought out wrestling show in years. Things that happened two years ago build into a story that ends beautifully. Throw away lines and characters turn into major plot points.

On September 7th, the 3rd season of this outstanding series debuts. And if you’re a wrestling fan, you’re already excited. If you’re not a wrestling fan, you have a little under a month to watch two seasons and get excited.

The Saint Mort Show Episode 140: Pro Wrestling 101 with Brian Soscia and Molly Neill

by Saintmort

This week on the Saint Mort Show it’s fairly Matt-less in favor of a discussion between past guest Brian Soscia and one of Matt’s best friends Molly Neill. Molly is training to be a professional wrestler and gets an opportunity to ask anything she would like to know about the business and Soscia is more than happy to open up about everything.

This isn’t just a podcast for wrestling fans though, this is a podcast for anyone who’s ever had a passion you thought no one else understands. Check it out and Enjoy!

If you’re curious where I’ve been I’ve been working on my new podcast Horror Movie Club. Check us out on Facebook, Twitter, Soundcloud, Reddit and Geekscape.net!

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The Saint Mort Show – Episode 138: Gentlemania Runs Wild with Jervis Cottonbelly

by Saintmort

This week on the podcast we are joined by Jervis Cottonbelly of Chikara Pro Wrestling. He’s here to discuss National Pro Wrestling Day and talk about how to be a true gentleman for Valentine’s Day. After listening to this episode you’ll be wanting to check out Jervis’ gaming & YouTube channels as well as support Chikara’s various events.

If you’re curious where I’ve been I’ve been working on my new podcast Horror Movie Club. Check us out on Facebook, Twitter, Soundcloud, Reddit and Geekscape.net!

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Philly Local? On February 6th You Should Be At Chikara’s National Pro Wrestling Day!

by Saintmort

The popularity of wrestling has been on a constant upward trajectory ever since the late 90’s “Monday Night Wars” took a niche market and made it mainstream. So popular was the battle between WCW and WWF that indie wrestling exploded. Thanks to a small company called ECW, Philadelphia became a hot bed of underground wrestling.

Living in Philadelphia you have plenty of wrestling shows to attend; WWE, TNA and Ring of Honor make multiple stops throughout the year, we’re the home of House of Hardcore as well as CZW but no wrestling organization is more progressive or as exciting as Chikara.

This small Lucha inspired organization has regular shows in Philadelphia (as well as other places around the Globe) promoting not just a family friendly wrestling show, but also positivity. Chikara is about interactions, seeing underdogs succeed and being as progressive as possible, but it’s also about giving back to the community.

This February 6th will be National Pro Wrestling Day, a yearly event from Chikara where every dollar goes to a good cause. This year the organization is raising money for the Polaris Project. This is a free event held at The Goodwill Beneficial Association in Reading, PA.

Polaris Project is an organization that combats human trafficking, which sadly, impacts more than 20 million victims worldwide, every single day. To combat this crime, Polaris offers local, national, and global programs, serving both labor and sex trafficking victims, using a survivor-centered approach. Widely recognized as one of the most experienced, multi-dimensional, and knowledgeable entities in the anti-trafficking field, Polaris is working to ensure human trafficking networks are permanently disrupted while hope and justice are restored.

NPWD-2016

This year Chikara hopes to raise $2,400 to provide shelter and food for survivors of human trafficking. They will be taking donations at the event but if you don’t live anywhere near Reading you can donate online on their official donations page (live right now)

The show begins at 2pm on February 6th. If you live in the area please come out and support a great cause and some fun wrestling. For more information visit Chikara’s website or their National Pro Wrestling Day website.

The Saint Mort Show Episode 136: The NXT Takeover and SummerSlam Pre-Show

by Saintmort

Once again I am joined by Geekscape Games co-hosts (and wrestling fans) Juan and Josh as we breakdown not one but TWO pay-per-views happening this weekend. First we talk NXT Takeover Brooklyn and then the 2nd biggest WWE Pay-Per-View of the year… Wrestlemania.

If you’re curious where I’ve been I’ve been working on my new podcast Horror Movie Club. Check us out on Facebook, Twitter, Soundcloud, Reddit and Geekscape.net!

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Arnold Schwarzenegger Will Be Playable In ‘WWE 2K16’ As The Terminator As Pre-Order DLC

by Josh Jackson

In what can only be described as a bizarre announcement, 2K has revealed that movie star, former Mr. Olympia, and the previous Governor of California, Arnold Schwarzeneggar, will be added to the WWE 2k16 roster as a pre-order bonus.

In previous years, the illustrious pre-order DLC spot went to legends who had up until that point been estranged from the WWE. Starting from WWE 2K12 onwards, each game featured downloads for The Rock, Mike Tyson, Ultimate Warrior and Sting, all of which either had recently came back to the squared circle, or would go on to return in the months ahead in various capacities. With the company running out of wrestlers to mend bridges with, it seems like it was time to call Hollywood. On the plus side, at least we get this awesome trailer which recreates the beginning of Terminator 2 with the current WWE Superstars and Divas!

While it hasn’t happened since Smackdown: Just Bring It 2001, celebrity cameos aren’t foreign to the series. Longtime wrestling fans will remember unlocking Fred Durst of Limp Bizkit as a hidden wrestler in the PS2 brawler, which had to have been the second worst part about it next to the game taking up more than half a memory card of save data. On the plus side, at least The Terminator will look like a convincing fighter, and shouldn’t have a problem reaching the handle bars on his motorcycle, unlike Durst. If nothing else, at least we got an interesting replacement for Hulk Hogan!

Does this announcement sway your decision to pre-order the game? Sound off below and let us know what you think!

WWE 2K16 will release this fall for PS4 and Xbox One.

Hulk Hogan Is Being Pulled From ‘WWE 2K16’ Due To Recent Controversy

by Josh Jackson

Unless you finally went through with that promise to stay away from the Internet, you’re probably aware that wrestling icon, Hulk Hogan, is in some hot water due to some racially charged comments that recently came to light. Originally recorded as part of the leaked sex tape that (unfortunately), made its way to the public in 2012, WWE preemptively scrubbed every mention of Hulkamania before the story hit the presses late last week.

While not unexpected, it’s still somewhat shocking to learn that 2K is following suit, pulling the former World Champion from WWE 2K16, making it the first game in three years that won’t feature the Hulkster despite being previously announced. In a statement, 2K made the announcement by stating:

“We are highly respectful of the way that our partners choose to run their business and manage our partnerships accordingly,… We can confirm that Hulk Hogan will not appear in WWE 2K16.”

This announcement makes it sound like it was the WWE itself that requested this removal, furthering their efforts to distance themselves from the situation before it gets worse. After previously announcing that the game will feature over 120 unique characters, it’ll be interesting to see who they will replace that extra slot with. Maybe a quick call to Skynet will cover it?

Will this effect your decision to purchase the next installment in the annual WWE release? Or do you think when considering the situation, it’s better off without him? Everyone’s got an opinion, so give yours below!

The Saint Mort Show Episode 133: Mega-Ran & K Murdock

by Saintmort

After a brief hiatus The Saint Mort Show is back with an interview with Mega-Ran and K Murdock live at the TooManyGames convention. It was a blast chatting with these two and talking comics, wrestling, video games and hip hop.

If you’re curious where I’ve been I’ve been working on my new podcast Horror Movie Club. Check us out on Facebook, Twitter, Soundcloud, Reddit and Geekscape.net!

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Geekscape Remembers “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes

by Saintmort

There are two ways to feel about the passing of Dusty “The American Dream” Rhodes. One way to feel about it is, well, sad. Grieving the loss of one of the greatest men to ever enter the squared circle. The other feeling is confused; “Who is Dusty Rhodes?” Until three years ago, I’d have been that second feeling.

As a child I was a WWE kid. I was a Hulkamaniac, I loved Bret Hart, I had my Ultimate Warrior and Rowdy Piper toys. Then one day I just stopped liking wrestling. I genuinely don’t remember what made me walk away, but I did.

I missed the entire Attitude era. My friends were wrestling fans so I was aware of the characters through No Mercy on the Nintendo 64 and Saturday morning wrestling on a trampoline. It was Dusty Rhodes that got me back into wrestling… or more so, an impression of Dusty Rhodes.

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Being from Philly I’ve been a fan of Kidd Chris from the second he hit the Philadelphia airwaves. Over the years he bounced from city to city and I’ve followed him every step of the way. It was in his newest (and current home) WEBN that his new co-host Meat began impersonating Dusty Rhodes. If you haven’t heard the impression, it’s hilarious, spot-on, but also an impression that can only exist from a passionate fan playing an homage (never has it seemed to be a mockery of The American Dream).

I loved the impression so much that I began to research Dusty and watching his promos and his matches. I realized the appeal almost immediately. Hulkamania ran wild for the little Hulkamaniacs, Ric Flair would style and profile his high class lifestyle but Dusty was the every-man. The Son of Plumber.

dusty-rhodes.jpg

That’s what made Dusty the jive-talker with a lisp a hero to countless wrestling fans. He existed beyond his gimmicks. It didn’t matter if he was wearing polka-dots or dancing around the ring, when he opened his mouth you listened. Every word was important, uplifting and powerful. I’m sure every posting about Dusty Rhodes has ended with this Hard Times promo, but there’s a reason for it. It is the best promo in wrestling history, bar none.

Hard Times is the type of speech every writer dreams of writing and every speaker dreams of speaking. In the promo Dusty begins thanking people showing his humbleness and genuine love of his fans. Immediately he begins cutting into Ric Flair and begins speaking to people’s fears and struggles. The message is clear. Ric Flair doesn’t understand your struggles… but Dusty does. He understands that sometimes you’ll get a watch, a kick in the butt, and your job given to a computer.

Dusty didn’t have the body of a wrestler, he wasn’t an attractive man. He had a bad lisp and was frequently forced to wear outrageous outfits. But he could talk. No one has and no one ever will speak with more authority, passion and sincerity like The American Dream Dusty Rhodes. He will be missed.

The Saint Mort Show Episode 131: Danger Club

by Saintmort

This week Matt is joined by the band Danger Club. Together they discuss Taco Bell, Wilfred and how the band came to be. In the end they even play a song. Good times are had by all and hopefully you have a good time too!

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The Saint Mort Show Episode 121 – Wrestlemania Preview with Juan and Joshua of Geekscape Games

by Saintmort

This is another wrestling packed episode. Once again I’m joined by some Geekscape Games co-hosts. This time Wrestling fans (and gaming enthusiasts) Juan Carlos and Joshua Jackson join me to discuss what we think is gonna happen at Wrestlemania, Who should be moving up the roster from NXT and who in general deserves more crowd reactions. Worry not non-Wrestling fans, next week it’ll be back to the same old bullshit that you know and love from the Saint Mort Show.

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The Saint Mort Show Episode 110: Juan Rodriguez of Founders

by Saintmort

After well over a year of trying to schedule out a podcast recording Juan came over to watch the WWE TLC pay-per-view on Sunday and we knocked out a podcast while he was here. We talk briefly about his band Founders but mostly go on a tangent about television and wrestling. Afterwards Juan performs a new song off the band’s upcoming EP.

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The Saint Mort Show Episode 106: Tommy Avallone (Director of I Am Santa Claus)

by Saintmort

Tommy Avallone is one of my most frequent guests, he appeared back in Episode 1 but he hasn’t been on for over a year. Tommy’s film I Am Santa Claus is now available on DVD and Blu-Ray and will be on Netflix November 25th. It was great going into Philly and talking to Tommy about the movie, Santa Claus and wrestling.

The song during the intro is We’re All Theme Parks by Team Goldie.

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The Saint Mort Show Episode 104: Matt DiStefano of Cassettes & Team Goldie

by Saintmort

Way back in episode one I was joined by Matt to promote Team Goldie. Since appearing on the show he’s recorded the theme song to the podcast, made Team Goldie a full band, put Team Goldie on hold and formed a new band called Cassettes. We sit down talk about music, wrestling and Matt even performs an acoustic rendition of his song Morgan Freeman. The song can be found on Cassettes upcoming EP Stresslemania.

In the beginning of the episode I also talk about past (and future) guest Tommy Avallone’s new documentary I Am Santa Claus. Get a copy at www.iamsantaclausmovie.com

The song during the intro is There’s Just You by Brian Fitzy from his appearance in Episode 91

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EXCLUSIVE: Check Out Four Stills From Tonight’s Episode Of ‘Lucha Underground’!

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: It’s Wednesday, which means that TONIGHT we’ll be treated to the second episode of the El Rey Network’s fantastic (at least judging from the premiere) new series Lucha Underground.

If you haven’t heard of it, and haven’t  even the slightest interest in wrestling (or sweet television), take a look at the series’ trailer for a fantastic idea of what it’s all about:

The 39-episode series combines ancient lucha libre tradition, extraordinary athleticism and a flare for theatrics in each hour-long episode. Every Wednesday, viewers will have a backstage and ringside seat as masked villains and heroes tell their stories while facing off to battle for wrestling supremacy resulting in programming that is unlike anything else on the screen.

In tonight’s episode, “Los Demonios,” Johnny Mundo and Prince Puma are out for revenge on Big Ryck and his crew. Chavo teams with Sexy Star and takes on Son of Havoc & Ivelisse. Blue Demon Jr. is confronted by Catrina who warns him of 1000 Deaths… Mil Muertes. Chavo Guerro seeks revenge.

And guess what? We’ve got some exclusive stills for tonight’s event! Here’s what you all came here for:

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And if you just can’t wait for tonight, here’s a clip:

Excited? Johnny Mundo will also take to reddit at 4PM PT (7 Eastern) for an AMA, so you may want to get in on that too. Be sure to let us know what you think of the stills, and if you’ll be checking out Lucha Underground tonight at 8!

The Saint Mort Show Episode 094: Paul Ray of Ashen Phoenix

by Saintmort

This week I sat down with Ashen Phoenix founder Paul Ray and we discussed what its like professionally attending comic conventions, why the internet would produce the worst wrestling writers and why Fantastic Four is almost undeniably going to be terrible.

The intro music contains the song Ocean City Windshield Punch by Facts . 

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Sting Arrives In The WWE Courtesy Of ‘WWE 2K15’

by Josh Jackson

If 2K wanted to send a message with their first fully developed wrestling title under their name, then message received.

For the first time in his long, storied career, Sting, the icon of WCW, (and TNA I guess…), will step foot in a WWE ring! Only in this case, it will be in the video game realm of WWE 2K15 in the form of pre order DLC.

Featuring both the early 90’s “surfer” Sting as well as the “Crow” Sting that would become his trademark look, the wrestling legend will join a roster featuring many of today’s biggest talent, such as cover boy, John Cena, Daniel Bryan and Bray Wyatt. Nearly any dream match you’ll ever want to put together can now be possible, even the long clamored for showdown between Sting and The Undertaker. Considering recent events, that might be the closest we’ll ever get to actually seeing the match play out!

But what makes this announcement more interesting is that after years of staunchly avoiding the WWE, this is the first official appearence he’s made for the company since becoming a free agent last year. Aside from an unannounced ten second clip about the Ultimate Warrior after his passing, (RIP), seeing new Sting content in anything related to Vince McMahon’s company is sure to excite wrestling fans both new and old. Besides, everyone who’s appeared before signing a contract in the past, (Brock Lesnar, Ultimate Warrior), have returned within that year. Can the same be said for Sting? Only time will tell, but I’m crossing my fingers.

Check out Sting’s reveal trailer below and let us know if this will sway your decision to step back into the ring. WWE 2K15 will release for both current and last gen consoles this fall!

The Saint Mort Show Episode 88: Live from Philadelphia Wizard World 2014

by Saintmort

I attended Philadelpiha Wizard World on Sunday (22nd) and grabbed some interviews with a bunch of people including Lloyd Kaufman of Troma, the good people of RetroCon and Scott Derby to name few. This episode also comes with the bonus content of a microphone fuck up where the whole interview is just last week’s guest Lily LeDeux selling photos while I try to interview her boss. Lesson is don’t us omnidirectional mics at a convention. 

Troma’s Website

Scott Derby’s Website

Ashen Phoenix’s Website

RetroCon website

Harry Myland Website

Josh Hechinger Website

The song playing during the intro is V an unreleased demo by Forever Got Shorter.

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‘Paul London: Hero Of The Prophecy’ Is The Most Important Thing You’ll Ever Watch

by Jonathan

If you’ve been following Geekscape on Twitter and Facebook (and now on Youtube with GeekscapeTV!), then you’ve no doubt watched the sizzle reel for our Geekscape original series ‘Paul London: Hero of the Prophecy’. The idea came from my brother Paul, who thought it would be fun to do something Buck Rogers-ish for one of his wrestling photo shoots. He, Graham Douglas and his former tag partner Brian Kendrick went up to Griffith Park one day and shot some ridiculous promotional photos. When I saw them I thought he had lost his mind. Wrestling fans would never go for this… but geeks just might (I’m pretty sure I was wrong about the wrestling fans, who so far love it, but was right about the geeks!).

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That’s Graham on the left… as ‘Finnegan’ for the first time!

I suggested to Paul that he get together with William Bibbiani and write up an idea for a webisode script. What William wrote is still one of the favorite things I’ve ever read… but it was too expensive. There was no way we could shoot it. Part of that was my fault. I told them to just go nuts, but as my producing partner Georg Kallert and I started to meet with people about what was now called ‘Paul London: Hero of the Prophecy’ it became clear that to make this series properly, with great wrestling and semi-passable 80s effects, it was going to take some money. Several doors were closed in our faces. It was a depressing time.

Ultimately, we decided to shoot the sizzle that you now see below on GeekscapeTV. Georg, William, Paul and I wrote something that we could afford from scratch, something that we could present to TV Networks and show them in a modest way what the show could be, especially the 80s nostalgic tone (and of course… the wrestling!). It wasn’t easy, as William had some hilarious ideas and I had trouble figuring out what we could afford to shoot in 3 days. Finally Paul, Georg, Graham, William and some of our friends (Brian Gilmore, Marisha Ray, Yuri Lowenthal, Nick Gregorio, Jason Trost, Kari Lane and Mr. Doug Jones) spent a few days shooting it after the dungeon/castle set was built and we had found a place in sunny Simi Valley that would work for the exteriors. We had to delay one day from the shoot for a few months due to Doug’s Falling Skies schedule but Doug is literally the sweetest man I’ve ever met in Hollywood (and one of the most talented) so it was definitely worth the wait! And of course, seeing him vaporize Gilmore wasn’t something I was going to compromise! I’d been waiting to see Gilmore killed on screen for years!

Mr. Doug Jones... the sweetest man in Hollywood!
Mr. Doug Jones… the sweetest man in Hollywood!

The days were fun and our love for 80s sci fi and fantasy films helped power us through the long hours (and the summer heat). Finally, after a few months of off and on editing, we arrived at the sizzle trailer that you see below. It’s a pitch piece that we can show people in order to tell them what ‘Paul London: Hero of the Prophecy’ could be, a celebration of nostalgia, wrestling and sword & sorcery (which is more popular today with Game of the Thrones and Lord of the Rings as it’s ever been) rolled up into a love letter to my brother Paul, a boy who grew up loving wrestling and achieved his dream of wrestling in the WWE at the age of 22. Now that those years are behind him and he’s off on life’s next adventure, I thought it would be a fun and sincere basis for a big, hilarious space and fantasy opera.

Please, if you enjoyed what you saw here, share ‘Paul London: Hero of the Prophecy’ with your friends, family… and even enemies! We want everyone to see what we’ve created in the hopes of keeping all of our childhood dreams and loves alive. That is why it’s so important to us here at Geekscape! And maybe, just maybe, with enough fan support or if it lands on the right set of eyes, the adventure will continue some more!

The Saint Mort Show Episode 067: Joe Starr

by Saintmort

I met Joe Starr when I lived in Los Angeles a few years ago. We worked on a few comedy shows while I was out there and occasionally hung out, it was great to have him on the podcast finally. The bad news is we don’t talk much about his stand-up comedy album Heroic Effort now available on iTunes and Bandcamp. The good news is we talk about Wrestling for about 30-40 minutes.

The intro music contains the song Doombots by Johnny Neutrino & the Secret Weapon from their self-titled demo.

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Comikaze: The Boom Boom Girls of Wrestling Steps Into The Ring

by Josh Jackson

Ever wonder how wrestling organizations like the WWE hire their female talent? Based on the Divas that have gone through the organization throughout the 2000’s, I’d like to imagine that the process is similar to what was shown in The Boom Boom Girls of Wrestling, an independent satire that delves into the world of women in wrestling.

Spearheaded by Carolin von Petzholdt, (who also plays the lead character of Carla Von Awesome,) was inspired to work on this project after she was injured at the end of a two month stint as a pro wrestling trainee. What can only be described as completely insane, the clips shown at the film’s Comikaze panel are what I’d sometimes imagine the hiring process at the WWE looks like. (“Are those silicone? You’re hired!”) After these “super heroes” are chosen, the film promises to take the ladies to some of the most backwater locations you could imagine in order to perform in front of a crowd of dozens. Just like real life!

The film is in its final stages of production and is aiming for a 2014 release. Check out the trailer below, and after you’re done, you can find more information at the website for the film at www.theboomboomgirls.com/

Anime Expo 2013: Legendary Wrestler Ultimo Dragon Stars in a New Graphic Novel!

by Josh Jackson

Heading into Anime Expo 2013, I expected the usual out of the popular con. You know, the anime, the announcements, the Cosplay… But amongst the sea of con flu and body odor, the last thing I expected to see was a legendary wrestler like Ultimo Dragon. Luckily for fans like me, he didn’t show up empty handed.

A collaboration between Ultimo, former film writer and WWE creative member Dan Madigan, and Musetap Art Studios, a graphic novel staring the pro wrestling icon was announced to be in the works. This 100 + page graphic novel will bring the story of Ultimo’s legendary mask to life, as its history is traced across hundreds of years, all of which promise to bring the action, excitement and innovation that Ultimo has shown in the ring for over two decades.

Below is a synopsis from the official Kickstarter page:

“It is said that a great warrior chieftain is the one that created the code for which the wearer of the mask should live by…that with knowledge, courage and strength comes with a great price…for centuries…the mask has found itself being handed down from tribe to tribe…then from clan to clan…never owned by one people…but always used by those that needed it…that needed its courage and wisdom…and strength that lie within it….there may come a day in the time of our people that one of you may have to wear this mask…it is a great undertaking…for one may wear the mask on the outside…but the mask owns you on the inside…I hope that day…never comes.”

As an attempt to make Ultimo more well known to American audiences, the project seems to have so much potential right out of the gate. For more information on the writers, artists, funding the project or on the book itself, check out the Kickstarter page. Until then, watch the teaser trailer and let us know if Ultimo Dragon will earn a spot on your bookshelf when the project is released.