The Wrestling Thread

[Reprise]

All In!!!!

[Raging Justice]

All In!!!!

Backstage brawl between CM Punk and Jack Perry. That's all anyone's talking about. As usual the behind the scenes drama is more interesting than AEW's actual product.

The attendance for this thing is impressive though, even by WWE standards. Though that begs the question, why did WWE let AEW do a show there before they did? There's no doubt in my mind WWE would have brought in the same numbers. WWE is a bigger brand with bigger stars. Why would you let AEW have this? They could have done Clash at the Castle there. Now you've given Tony Kahn something to brag about forever (and he absolutely WILL). Weird.

[Reprise]

The attendance for this thing is impressive though, even by WWE standards. Though that begs the question, why did WWE let AEW do a show there before they did? There's no doubt in my mind WWE would have brought in the same numbers. WWE is a bigger brand with bigger stars. Why would you let AEW have this? They could have done Clash at the Castle there. Now you've given Tony Kahn something to brag about forever. Weird.

Because WWE wants places to pay them to attend and London doesn't need the tourism, so so is never going to want to pay WWE big bucks to put on a show. Supposedly they were going to do Clash at the Castle at Wembley at first, but changed their minds as Wales offered them a lot of money to hold it in Cardiff. London wouldn't.

Backstage brawl between CM Punk and Jack Perry. That's all anyone's talking about. As usual the behind the scenes drama is more interesting than AEW's actual product.

Not really, most people moved on and the story was hardly being talked about on social media as the show progressed. It was a good show. Main event delivered, in storytelling if not in wrestling by Meltzer star rating standards. Fun card really from start to finish, without a single bad match. Even the women's match was decent.

They did a good job of making matches feel like a big deal, despite the somewhat fumbled builds towards a lot of them. The crowd were great.

Early reports are that Perry confronted and 'bumped' Punk first anyways and was the one sent home due to him starting it. If it was any other AEW star I'd probably be rolling my eyes at Punk, but Perry has seemed like a bit of a bitch for a while. Kid threw a hissy fit because he was told he can't do a spot with real glass (because it's stupid, duh, ask Goldberg).

Edit: Yup, it's reported "Jack Perry stepped in Punk's face backstage and "bumped" the two-time AEW World Champion. Punk then allegedly pushed Perry and the former Jungle Boy then "came at Punk and got choked." Lol sounds hilarious to be honest.

All In 2024 announced next August for Wembley Stadium again. They have some balls. I can just about understand them doing 82,000 as a one time thing, but every year? It will be interesting too see if they can repeat that success after the aura has gone. I expected them to do All In again after the huge success, but I thought they might tour different countries each year.

[Reprise]

Something AEW/Tony should face criticism for is its booking. Tony has announced that Orange Cassidy will face Penta for the International title and then the winner will face Moxley at All Out for the title.

How does that make sense? Isn't that backwards? Lol. Besides that, it's obvious Orange Cassidy will will win and then face Moxley anyways, so what's the point of the match? Hell couldn't they have just made it a triple threat match?

In other news, they announced they are putting on a special PPV on 1st October in Washington to honour Antonio Inoki. Apparently NJPW will have some kind of presence, which just makes me go ehhhhh sounds like another throwaway show, but we'll see.

[Raging Justice]

It's just hard to care about anything AEW does anymore because nothing feels important. I think the last time anything felt important was when Hangman beat Omega for the title. That was probably the last time they had a great pay per view. The video package before that match was great, the build up was great, and the right guy won. The way the Bucks showed up but didn't play into the finish was great story telling.

Most places I've been to don't think any of the matches at All in were great other than the main event. Hardly any MOTY contenders.

People are getting sick of the hardcore shit. I've seen a lot of complaints about Moxley having those things stuck in his face during his match.

Saraya sucks and Shida gets screwed yet again (kind of like Asuka). I KNEW Tony was gonna do this the minute Saraya beat Sky Blue to get into this match. It was even more obvious when they kept showing a clip of Saraya on that talk show. So predictable.

FTR should have dropped the titles to the REAL greatest tag team in the world. Top guys..SUCK.

Punk sucks, so fuck any match that has him winning

Jericho/Osprey...I mean, who really cares? Is Osprey in AEW yet? I'm so sick of these big pay per view matches featuring a guy who is not even on the roster. Where they have like two weeks before a pay per view to try and make us give a shit.

I heard people talking about the massive pops Hangman and Omega got, only for them to ask the logical question of why neither guy is in a meaningful singles feud. How many times are they gonna get wasted in multi-man bullshit on pay per views? They should be the two top baby faces in the company right now.

Meh. Whatever. Just another nothing PPV from AEW, which will be followed by another nothing PPV a week from now. The fact that they got Wembley Stadium is the only thing noteworthy about this PPV...which won't mean jack when WWE eventually goes there and gets the same attendance if not more.

I mentioned once how I miss the AEW that did unconventional things. Remember that show they did on a cruise? Man I miss shit like that. The company is so boring now

[Reprise]

FTR should have dropped the titles to the REAL greatest tag team in the world. Top guys..SUCK.

Nah. FTR > Bucks and it's not even close. Bucks are so overrated, it's frankly ridiculous.

As for the show, it wasn't perfect and it was certainly one of those events that was all about the atmosphere and crowd, rather than how many 5 star matches there were, but it was very entertaining and it was a very good PPV. I enjoyed it more than Summerslam, Forbidden Door, and Double or Nothing. I wouldn't say a single match was a MOTY candidate and that's ok.

It's weird to me how people obsess over the match quality these days in a very Meltzer type of way ("yeah, but how many 5 star matches were there?"), only because when companies like WWE/F, WCW and ECW were in their absolute prime you were lucky if you got one 4 star match at a PPV (Jesus, you'd be lucky if you even got that at an ECW or WCW PPV).

Yeah, I am sick of the hardcore shit though. Moxley is an idiot and his matches are annoying. The Stadium Stampede match was pretty meh for me.

[Raging Justice]

I think All In generally sucked with some dumb booking (like the worse woman in their division winning the title) and a few pointless matches (Jericho/Osprey as well as top talent being wasted in more pointless multi-men matches that AEW loves so much). Plus, Stadium Stampede was just a standard hardcore rules match with Moxley doing typical Moxley stuff. Stadium Stampede is the sort of thing that only truly works pre-taped in an empty arena as it allows for more creativity.

All that said, MJF/Cole was a fun and intriguing match and by far the best part of the show. Somehow, it was both a face versus face match and also a heel versus heel match. It started out as a match between two faces then eventually turned into a heel versus heel match (though the crowd seemed to be mostly behind MJF). Cole reminded everyone of the prick he was when he first came to AEW as well as when he was in NXT. That douchebag re-emerged during the match, and MJF also fell back to a lot of his old dirty tricks as well. They pulled out so much cheap shit in that match that Ric Flair and the late, great Eddie Guerrero would be proud. It was quite comical at times. Yet there were moments in the match where both guys briefly fell back into baby face mode. It was as much a test of their friendship as it was a test of who both men are right now. That match is pretty close to 5 star territory. MJF doesn't wrestle much, but always delivers when he does.

I didn't like Cole throwing aside the tag titles though, ALL titles should be respected.

LA Knight and Chad Gable proved once again to be the two best faces in WWE right now on Raw (and Miz did a pretty awesome LA Knight impersonation). I love Gunther telling Gable, "You pissed me off!" then ranting and raving in German. Don't know what he said but it was
funny

Chad put on a clinic against Ludwig Kaiser as he usually does. Funny thing is, this isn't even Chad Gable at 100%. The stuff he did in the ring back in his NXT days was incredible, but we don't often see people on the main roster really go all out in their matches like they did back in the Black and Gold era of NXT.

Becky, Trish Stratus, and Zoey Starks had a pretty decent main event (I still can't believe it's 2023 and Trish Stratus is wrestling again). Nice tribute to Funk and seeing Becky remembering Bray Wyatt at the end and crying was a nice way to end the show. Trish accidentally hitting Zoey in the face with a chair may have been a botch, but it was funny and the reaction later in the match to Zoey accidentally knocking out Trish was pretty hilarious





The tributes throughout the show to those who have recently passed on where well done, though I could swear that I had heard news of Bob Barker dying years ago. Must be that weird Mandela Effect bullshit

I love the focus in WWE. I can literally tell you every current story line and every ongoing feud. It's not week to week random bullshit and random matches like AEW.

Oh, and speaking of AEW again, as I said more people are talking about CM Punk (for all the wrong reasons) than they are the pay per view. I heard that him and Perry are suspended. There's also been a lot more info coming out about what happened, as well as a weird story about travel issues Punk had. From f4online:

"As expected, more details have continued to emerge regarding the latest CM Punk controversy stemming from last Sunday's All In from London's Wembley Stadium that saw Punk and "Jungle Boy" Jack Perry get into a physical altercation backstage.

The following comes from our Bryan Alvarez on Tuesday's edition of Wrestling Observer Live who said he spoke to no fewer than a dozen people regarding the entire situation and then some.

The Punk/Perry skirmish

Shortly after the Punk vs. Samoa Joe match to kick off the pay-per-view, a story emerged that Punk and Perry had got into some altercation backstage prior to Punk going out for his match. Perry had already wrestled on the pre-show match against Hook and made a comment about "real glass. Cry me a river." to the camera during the match when they were fighting on and around a car.

The comment was a reference to a story that emerged recently about a spot Perry wanted to do with real glass on Collision that Punk nixed for several reported reasons.

Alvarez said it was described to him that Perry was backstage Sunday having cuts worked on following getting dropped on the car's windshield during the match when Punk walked over to him and asked if Perry had a problem with him.

Perry said something to the effect of "Well, you heard what I said out there." According to several people, Punk said something to the effect of, "You know I can beat your ass, right?" There was a quick incident and nearly 100% of people Alvarez spoke with say Punk made the comment and either shoved or pie-faced Perry and then put him in a guillotine headlock.

It was immediately broken up soon after. They got close enough to Tony Khan, who was in the gorilla position, that monitors were apparently knocked down onto Khan. Alvarez said that unlike the brawl following All Out, there were a lot of witnesses to this all happening including Khan himself.

Alvarez said that Punk was furious about the situation and several people said he threatened to quit and didn't want to go out for his match against Samoa Joe which caused a delay. Alvarez said he heard that resulted in AEW personnel going to FTR and The Young Bucks about opening the show, but they weren't ready to do so. AEW went to the participants in The Golden Elite vs. Bullet Club Gold/Konosuke Takeshita trios bout and they said they could do it if needed.

Alvarez said he was told Joe was furious and apparently talked Punk into doing the match.

Miro

Afterward, there was apparently another near-incident when Punk came through the curtain. Miro went up to Punk and asked about what happened with Perry. Punk then asked if he had a problem with him now which resulted in an argument. Punk asked if Miro wanted to step outside, but the situation didn't escalate into anything and Punk headed to the trainer's room.

After the report Tuesday, both Nick Hausman and PWInsider had denials that altercation happened. Fightful's Sean Ross Sapp reported Tuesday evening that the dialogue between them described above was done in a joking manner.

All Out status

Per Dave Meltzer, Punk and Perry are suspended pending the results of an investigation into the matter. It's possible both men will work Sunday's All Out if the investigation is cleared by then, but Alvarez was told yesterday from the Warner Bros. Discovery side that they were told Punk was indeed suspended and off Sunday's pay-per-view.

Alvarez said that most people think Punk will be back in AEW, but there are a handful of those who think he's done and has had enough. It isn't clear how the situation will play out.

The Collision glass spot

Regarding the aforementioned glass spot, Alvarez said that according to Perry's side of things, it was approved by AEW while he was at a Dynamite episode to the point he rented a car for the spot. According to Perry's side, Punk said no because of Perry's friendship with the Young Bucks.

Alvarez said the argument about the glass spot was known within the company for weeks prior to when it first came out. Alvarez again told the story he had heard about Perry having a vacation planned and that he wasn't trying to get out of working the next week as had been reported was the feeling from Punk.

London travel woes

A story emerged on Monday that Punk found himself with no AEW-provided transportation when he arrived in London on Saturday morning and that when he called a driver that was supposed to be there, the number didn't work.

He eventually took the Tube (train) and had to get the assistance of some fans to find where he was going which was supported by some pictures that found their way to Reddit.

Alvarez said there are two versions to this story as well. One is that Punk arrived and couldn't get ahold of anyone and decided to take the train. The other version is that he did get in touch with someone and either they asked or he offered to take the train. He was fine with it and then once he was on the train, he got lost."

It's unknown why he didn't take a cab or an Uber, but Alvarez noted it was difficult for most people, including himself, to get an Uber during the weekend."

I'm sure that Chicago All Out crowd is not gonna be happy that their mythical hero and idol CM Punk won't be there

[Raging Justice]

FTR should have dropped the titles to the REAL greatest tag team in the world. Top guys..SUCK.

Nah. FTR > Bucks and it's not even close. Bucks are so overrated, it's frankly ridiculous.

FTR are the overrated ones

A friend of mine said something funny while watching All In. She used a popular internet phrase that I usually try and avoid, but it was funny. She called them the "Gun toting vanilla midgets"

The Bucks have style, they have attitude, they can be hilarious when they want to be, they have one of the best entrance themes in AEW (Super kick partaaaay) and an even better one when they come out with Omega (Carry on My Wayward Son by Kansas just shows that these guys have real taste). Plus, they can have great matches with anyone. FTR are two tiny, generic looking dudes with a shitty entrance theme whose promos generally revolve around Dax always having to say something about, "muh family, my little girl"

Course, that's when he not whining about something on Twitter

Doesn't help that they also worship at the altar of CM Punk, talking about him like he belongs on the Mt Rushmore of professional wrestling.

It's all just opinions at the end of the day, but that's how I feel about them

[Raging Justice]

Eric Bischoff calls All In an "Indie Show". Bischoff these days just tells it like it is:



"This did not have a WrestleMania feel to me at all. WrestleMania feels like a WrestleMania, just like—I’m not going to make a comparison because it will p*** people off. WrestleMania, you know you’re watching a WrestleMania from the moment that show opens till the moment it closes, you know you’re watching something special. This show was unique in the sense it was in front of 80,000 people at Wembley Stadium and all that, but what took place inside of that ring and what didn’t in terms of the packages and the support and the drama that goes along with it. The entrances I thought were pretty good but not what you’d expect for a stadium show. It just felt like a really really good indie show on steroids.” - Eric Bischoff

In other news, dipshit CM Punk was supposed to main event All Out and the guy who is apparently now running everything in AEW also had a hand in the new safety guidelines...probably just to protect his own broken down, brittle, old ass:

https://www.youtube.com/live/nqJ19xShORQ

He also apparently chewed out Tony Kahn, the guy who we thought was running AEW and even threatened to quit:



https://www.cagesideseats.com/aew/2023/ ... tion-argue

https://www.pwtorch.com/site/2023/08/29 ... urces-say/

More articles on Punk:

https://www.cagesideseats.com/aew/2023/ ... ry-chicago

https://nodq.com/news/update-on-cm-punk ... ack-perry/

In some positive news, Wrestlequest is out, and I kind of want to try it. Also, Bianca Belair is taking time off. Good, I was sick of how over pushed she was. Now if only Cody Rhodes could go away too then I'd have little to complain out in WWE.

https://www.f4wonline.com/news/wwe/repo ... g-time-off

[RCBH928]

Funny coming from Bischoff. WCW Nitro was better than their PPVs.