@twf87
This week has seen some interesting developments in New Japan, as Dave Meltzer reported that there were some members of the roster who are unhappy with the new management and current direction of the company. Initially he reported that it was some of the Western wrestlers, but then expanded it to say that some of the Japanese stars were also unhappy. This led to Tama Tonga going on a Twitter barrage calling out Meltzer and his sources, who are almost certainly members of The Elite. It’s getting hard to know what is a work these days and what is real, but I had a few thoughts about the situation. Meltzer doesn’t speak Japanese and his news from Japan is often less accurate than from the West, so I don’t really buy the reports of Japanese wrestlers being unsettled. NJPW signed two big names in Taiji Ishimori and Shingo Takagi this year, which doesn’t indicate an unhappy locker room. I could believe that some members of The Elite might be trying to leverage this situation as their contracts with ROH and New Japan come up, or maybe they’re genuinely unhappy with the direction behind the scenes. Whatever the case is, it’s quite unprofessional to be airing this in public, and honestly a part of me wouldn’t be too distraught to see them going to WWE come January. At least it’s given us more Tama Tonga Twitter rants, which I’ve really been enjoying.
The Mae Young Classic quarter finals also aired this week, and when the dust had settled we were left with two Japanese and two Australian wrestlers. Meiko Satomura defeated Lacey Lain in a short but good match – Lacey has a lot of potential but Meiko just overpowered her – and she will face Toni Storm who took down Mia Yim in the main event. Storm reached the semi finals last year, but this year she feels like a different prospect. She’s no longer the favourite and that might actually be helpful as people overlook her in favour of Meiko and Io Shirai. Io’s match with Deonna Purazzo was the best match she’s had so far, and Io was able to show off more of her skill in their bout. They’ve faced each other before in Stardom, which doubtlessly helped, but Deonna is also a good wrestler in her own right. Io faces Rhea Rhipley in the semi final, who beat Teagan Nox in a match overshadowed by Nox injuring her leg on what appeared to be a routine suicide dive. Nox, who missed last year’s MYC due to a leg injury, appeared inconsolable after the match, and it was tough to watch. Hopefully her rehab goes well and we see her back in the ring soon.
@TheCiaranJames
I was unfortunately not able to contribute to last weeks article, however I am back and ready to give my thoughts on my week in wrestling.
I was recovering last Sunday from a cracking night of wrestling in Bristol with Chaos Wrestling. It was there that I witnessed two of the best matches of 2018, the first was between Chaos Champion Big Grizzly and challenger Dick Riley, and the second was a 30 minute Iron Match between Mark Haskins and Beano. These were exceptional matches, top talent performing to the best of their abilities. Beano a graduate of Dragon Pro academy, received a standing ovation for his efforts, it truly was a star making moment. And to think this card was missing several regulars members, who were appearing elsewhere for WWE, Chaos should be applauded for producing one of their best events of 2018.
The other subject I must talk about is Saudi Arabia and the controversy surrounding Jamal Khashoggi. More information is leaked daily, with Turkey, Saudi Arabia and the United States stating where they are on the situation. What makes it worse is that Saudi Arabian officials at first denied anything, then they try to tell us there was fist fight….in the words of the Miz “Really”
The WWE should withdraw from the planned Crown Jewel trip and keep their moral code in order. Endeavor the parent company of UFC have pulled out of deal with $400 Million, now that’s a statement to make. What makes it worse is that Evolution, the all female PPV is next weekend, an event set up to attempt to dissuade the backlash from the Saudi trip. As a wrestling fan I have never been more ashamed of WWE than I am now.
Again that PWTorch has provided the best analysis when it comes to the WWE/Saudi controversy. Bruce Mitchell, Todd Martin and Wade Keller have been exceptional in their reporting and opinion based podcasts, my days of travelling and work go much faster listening to those three talk.
My next opinion maybe a little unpopular but I was left with mixed feelings over the debut of the NXT UK division. The main event was good, but the whole presentation didn’t blow me away, possibly with time this will improve.
Outside of the Shotgun XL episode that I watched this week, all of my viewing has been of the old school variety. I’m a little under a month in cumulative viewing away from clearing all of the 1984 wrestling I have access to. Well, at least the A shows for each promotion. This has seen me plough ahead with Memphis in particular, easily the most watchable of the older territories. Having tried to run with Ric Rude as a face for some reason, they’d finally realised the error of their ways by the end of 84, though they’d return to a Lawler versus Rude feud that had felt like it had been done to death across the course of the year already. Interestingly, Bill Dundee would be wrestling and helping with the booking down in Mid-South, so there wasn’t really anyone else at the top of the card who could support Lawler. No Austin Idol, Dutch Mantell was off in Florida; things weren’t looking great in Memphis.
It is worth acknowledging how pleased I was to see Riptide’s first show after the Brighton Championship Tournament sold out, even though this meant I wasn’t able to get a ticket for myself due to a lack of funds at the time of release. However, I hope this means that the promotion will be able to work through the money issues that saw them cancel two shows at the end of the year. If anything, this willingness to act before things became an issue will hopefully stand them in good stead for the future. I hope so, not just because of the people who have worked hard to put together a compelling product, but also because of the promotion being by far the easiest live graps I can access!
@RoxBlackburn
My week in wrestling involved WWE Raw & Smackdown. Raw mostly felt like walking through jam, although I did rather enjoy Ronda’s savage verbal dress down of The Bella twins. I’m afraid I’m done with them as wrestlers. I don’t think they bring anything to the current womens division.Smackdown was more interesting as it was SD 1000. Who doesn’t enjoy a stroll down memory lane? Although they are heavily relying on it at the moment, which in my opinion, shows a total lack of faith in the current roster.
Batista being back was interesting. He was clearly very nervous as he cut the best promo of his career…. joke…. he’s terrible on the mic! Randy Orton breaking current Kayfabe for his “Evolution” character seemed awkward and I hope it doesn’t stall his current momentum.
Becky Lynch tears down Edge, yes, Edge and still gets the biggest pop of the night! I love her, I absolutely love her. She is by far, the best thing on WWE right now.
I also rewatched Finn Bálor’s 24 special to remind myself of a more hopeful time. Yes, I know he was injured but his return had us on the edge of our seats. 18 months later and I either watch his segments through my fingers or eye roll myself into another dimension. They simply must do better with him because if they don’t, there are several promotions out there who will. #TheRoxSays : I miss NXT Finn.
