By Nick Whitworth@pwpitstopNick
I am back once again. I just finished up a busy work week as it was a short week due to a holiday (Halifax’s birthday). I was off for 2 week prior to the week on vacation and am now currently on vacay for 2 more weeks. On my time off I found out some exciting news…. I found out that Annie is OK which is good news as people have been wondering that for decades. Such a relief. Also a fan slide into my DM’s with a nice little message. It read “I was riveted by your thesis on regressive taxation. How did your arrive at such a scintillating hypothesis?”. I responded with “Easy”……
Today’s topics are:
– Chris Jericho Cruise
– Mae Young Classic #2
– Ring Of Honor Madison Square Garden show
– Bad Boy Joey Janela
– WWE’s recent remarks towards the indies
1: Y2J Chris Jericho is the man. If you disagree then I must not know what I am talking about and we all know I know everything. His recent matches in New Japan have made Jericho more relevant then he has been in years and to top that off he has put together Chris Jericho’s Rock N Wrestling Rager At Sea cruise. Genius I tells ya.
This cruise is a dream vacation for any wrestling fan. Wrestling, meet and greets, DDP Yoga, live music, comedy acts and special guests makes this event a must see. The brilliant planning that Chris put into this is a true testament to how Y2J in literally in a league of his own.
The major All In event is the Wrestlemania for the indies but getting on a boat and setting sail from Miami to Nassau, Bahamas is on its own level. This ship will feature every big name indie star you can think of plus to add a little icing to the cake Jericho enlisted in a few legends to really solidify this line up.
The wrestling portion of this is where the money is. I am literally foaming at the mouth here just thinking of the one major match. Alpha Club vs Bullet Club. Chris Jericho teaming up with the mega popular The Young Bucks taking on Kenny Omega, Cody and Marty Scurll. That right there will be one of the top matches of 2018. Mark my word folks.
Jericho teamed up with Ring Of Honor and Impact Wrestling to really bring in the hot names. The crowd will also witness the Sea Of Honor tournament, LAX taking on The Young Bucks, Marty Scurll vs Sami Callihan in a ROH vs Impact Wrestling match up. Chris knows this business in and out and knows what the fans want and this cruise is just the tip of the ice berg.
This is literally a one of a kind event and hopefully this isn’t the only time this cruise sets sail. This isn’t much of a typical rant as it is more of a plug. I am just is awe of this and the entire concept and how magnificent the whole ordeal is. I do think Jericho is the only one who could pull this off and pull it off so smoothly.
Check out the site for more info on everything ranging from prices to the line up listing. The event will run from October 27th to October 31st and will be filled with entertainment from start to finish. For a wrestling fan looking for the the perfect vacation then look no farther then here www.chrisjerichocruise.com.
2: The return of the great Mae Young Classic is underway as we speak. Filming has begun with the event airing in a months time. I am trying my darndest to skip the spoilers but it is so tempting as I am in love with the roster. Triple H knows what the fans want and gives it to them. Yes, there are some women missing who should be there but overall has the best of the best.
I am sure contract issues come in to play for Impact, Ring Of Honor and Lucha Underground preventing their talent from competing in this event. Kelly Klein, Ivelisse and Cheerleader Melissa are the front runners for my wish list but business is business so I understand the absence.
LuFisto was my first on my wish list to be in this years MYC. She is a phenomenal talent with a tremendous amount of experience to really elevate this tournament. Her taking on Shayna Baszler at the Evolution Pay Per View…. Oh take my money now WWE.
Another star missing from the event who I thought would be a shoe in was Saraya Knight. Some might know her as the mother of WWE’s very own Paige but to hardcore fans she is a bad ass women who will put a thumping on you without hesitation. I figured WWE would add her to the group not only due to her legendary career but also with the upcoming release (early 2019) of the movie based on her family called “Fighting With My Family” which was produced by The Rock (yes, I am not calling him Dwayne here), it gives her name more exposure to a wider audience then just being a name revolved around Paige.
The overall roster is stacked. Returnees like my favorites Mia Yim and Mercedes Martinez to Allysin Kay and Madison Rayne finally stepping foot inside a WWE ring really makes this event special. Add in the return of former WWE star Kaitlyn to the mix and this is a stellar roster. Deonna Purrazzo, Io Shirai, Nicole Matthews and Rachel Evers (Rachel Ellering) are the perfect names to add into the mix. The roster is filled with literally a world wide rang of talent.
As much as I loved the first one, I am extremely excited to watch these amazing women do what they do best. I think Mae Young Classic # 2 will blow the first one out of the water. Triple H has one already under his belt so the chances of this one failing are slim to none. The chances are better for my wife and I having another child and well, that is impossible now (snip, snip) then for this event tanking.
Last year my pick to win was Shayna Baszler and while I was wrong (she finished 2nd) she went on to have an incredible year in NXT. This year I was going with the The Blasian Baddie Mia Yim until I read an article that contained a spoiler on who is set to win. Trying not to see any spoilers is tough but I thought I was doing good until I read this. Total bummer.
At the end of the day I see the Mae Young Classic # 2 topping last years inaugural event. Packed with mega stars, this years MYC will be nothing short of extraordinaire.
3: A few months back Ring Of Honor announced their debut at the legendary Madison Square Garden and as we all know WWE was quick to put the kibosh to it. That showed the world just how powerful WWE sees ROH and how scared they are of the company stepping into their territory.
So ROH took the high road, took a step back and came up with a new plan…. To run a joint event with the major popular New Japan Pro Wrestling and head right back to The Garden. How well did the tickets sell? Sold out in minutes. Vince, how do you like them apples?
The event will be on April , the night before Wrestlemania and going head to head with NXT Takeover and yet still managed to sell out. This goes to show to 2 things. 1) Fans are bored of the current WWE product and 2) ROH and NJPW can draw just as good as WWE can.
The business is changing and Vince has to be shaking in his boots. All In and now ROH selling out in minutes all while lacking the empire WWE has. What they do have is the brains of Cody Rhodes and The Young Bucks. I wouldn’t even be surprised if Chris Jericho makes an appearance at this event. Independent wrestling went from so called “barns” to selling out major arenas with WWE actively seeking out all major indie names to sign with the company.
The major difference between WWE and the indies is dream matches. Fans want to witness matches they can only dream about and it is happening all the time. WWE continues to produce sloppy feuds while companies like ROH and NJPW are producing matches that get the world talking. Fans complain about the length of Raw and the length of their Pay Per Views yet New Japan’s events are just as long but they come with zero chances of any type of boredom. Start to finish, they are booked with the best of the best match ups.
With the success of sales for these events and the demand for indie wrestling, WWE suddenly isn’t the best place to be. With their crazy road schedule and the fact the talent pay their travel, etc, indie wrestling seems to be the best place to be.
Cody and The Young Bucks risen the stock of both ROH and NJPW and shown the world just how much of draw they really are. Hence WWE’s rumored aggressive contract negotiation preparation. Everywhere these guys go and adding Kenny Omega to the mix, they sell out all arenas around the world.
I would love to be a fly on the wall at Vince’s place when he found out ROH-NJPW event not only sold out but sold out in minutes. If I was a betting man I would say there were more curse words flying out of his mouth then there are actual curse words.
The one thing that I hope comes from this is Vince and his team realize their star power isn’t where it once was and they need to go back to the drawing board as soon as possible and give the reigns to Triple H to get the company back on track or else we will see more and more promotions selling out major arenas and stepping into WWE turf.
I am excited for this event but I am more excited for NXT Takeover as I think Hunter will step his game up to make sure WWE comes out on top that weekend. That being said right now is such a great time to be a wrestling fan. Promotions working with other promotions, indie stars are becoming mega stars without the help of WWE, and wrestlers do not have to head on down to Stamford to make a nice living. Oh and isn’t it ironic that a mere few months after I met Cody at an event here in Halifax, Nova Scotia a few months after his WWE departure that his career really took off….. I think not.
4: As I always say, I am a big fan of characters in wrestling and no one is as hot as The Bad Boy Joey Janela. Janela has managed to set himself apart from the pack and put a lot of eyes on him. He is one of the hottest on the indie market hands down.
Joey caused the internet world to shine the spotlight on him from a bump he took off of a roof top on to the back of a pick up truck filled with light tubes and barbed wire. That death defying bump could have easily ended his career, instead it’s where his career started to really take off.
He doesn’t have the “Vince McMahon” body type or the abs of Ricochet but his willingness to put his body through hell has the fans drawn into him. There is no character like his in wrestling today and that is why he is insanely over and in huge demand.
The Bad Boy was making a huge name for himself, travelling around the globe honing his craft and building up his fan base. Things changed when he put together “Joey Janela’s Spring Break”. Eyeing Wrestlemania weekend as a chance to really shine, the event was either going to be a major success or a career death wish. If you know Joey and the Spring Break event then you know it was a huge success.
He took the concept of a throwback indie show with well known indie darlings and added in some old school names. The main event was Janela himself squaring off against Marty Jannetty. Suddenly Joey is “the” guy in the indie world. This event opened doors for major events all over the globe. He was now on everybody’s radar.
Janela does what he wants, how he wants and when he wants. It is all on his terms and his way. He has used the internet to get and keep the wrestling world talking and is staying true to what he is and that is an independent wrestler.
His style is not what WWE would want and I am sure Vince would rather see him in the gym curling some 50’s but Janela would rather be drinking beer and have cigarette after cigarette. He wouldn’t be a typical WWE superstar so I am not sure if the company has even looked his way at all. I don’t think it even bothers him in the slightest as like I said previously that he is making a name for himself on his terms.
I personally think his character would be over huge for WWE. Of course he would have to tone down his urge to do some insane things inside the ring but he is too good not to have a run in the big leagues. Vince might not want him or know what to do with him but Triple H sure would. His character could be a breath of fresh air for a lot of fans who are loosing interest on the WWE and their current product. He has the potential to really add some spark to the organization and draw in those fans who have turned their back on them.
I hope he see him step foot inside a WWE ring. Again whether or not that is even something he wants, it would be a fantastic sight to watch. Heck a run with ROH, Impact or NJPW would be a terrific choice. Come on people, somebody sign this genius sooner rather then later.
5: I have said in multiple Rants that WWE needs to work with other promotions to produce some exciting cross promotion events. A lot of people think I am nuts for thinking this way as Vince would never let this happen which is probably true but lately WWE seems to be flirting more with this happening then ever.
Randy Orton recently cut a fire of a promo by taking shots at indie wrestling and the Bullet Club. With the recent rumblings of WWE wanting to do whatever then can to scoop up The Elite, this was a way to plant the seed. The crowd knew exactly who he was talking about and there has to be a reason. Vince wouldn’t want him to say that if there wasn’t true reasoning behind it. I don’t think we will see that last of these kinds of things until those guys show up on WWE television.
WWE’s Roman Reigns and NJPW’s Tama Tonga have been firing shots at each other online for the past few weeks. This came out of nowhere but again has my mind racing towards a working relationship with New Japan.
Both superstars went back and forth on Twitter causing the wrestling world to take notice. Tonga event took it up a notch by mocking Reigns in his entrance during the G1 Climax 28. After his match he looked into the camera and said “what’s a yard compared to the world?”. Mic dropped.
Tonga along with his partners in crime Bad Luck Fale and Tonga Loa were recently “kicked out” of an event featuring the G1 Climax B Block matches. Of course they took to twitter to say things like they are now on a three month vacation and posted some funny beach pictures.
It didn’t stop there though. WWE superstar Finn Balor chimed in. As we all know Balor was the leader of the Bullet Club before heading off to WWE land so seeing him respond caught the eyes of the fans. Finn responded with “Brooklyn summer vacation?”. Obviously hinting at this years Summerslam Pay Per View. Tonga responded with ” The whole gang is invented ( I am guessing it was suppose to say invited ) along with the hashtag of #OGBC and a picture of Tama himself, Fale, Balor and current WWE stars Gallows and Anderson. As we know OGBC is seen on shirts wore by Balor, Gallows and Anderson. Hmmmmm.
Coincidence? I think there is more to the story here then Vince allowing his roster to troll the internet world. Whether through promos or social media WWE and NJPW seem closer to work together then ever and one can hope this cross promotion relationship is about to begin. Could you imagine if the two top wrestling companies in the world teamed up?
Well it`s been a slice but it is time to hit the ol`dusty trail. I am off to a cottage for a few days with the beach a few meters away. Time to get a tan on top of my current tan. Tanning Mom, I`m coming for you….
