Tanahashi was the victor, Okada left crying Photo Credit: njpw.co.jp

In the TH Style. Check your local PPV provider or get the NJPW World or Flipps App for a replay. You are going to want to get this show, whether your first or 101st exposure to New Japan Pro Wrestling.

Highlights:

• reDRagon retained the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships in a four-way scramble against Forever Hooligans, the Young Bucks, and the Time Splitters by hitting Alex Kozlov with Chasing the Dragon (kick-assisted brainbuster).
• In trios action, Tomoaki Honma, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, and Satoshi Kojima defeated Jeff Jarrett, Bad Luck Fale, and Yujiro Takahashi when Honma finished Takahashi off with a diving headbutt from the top.
• Toru Yano and a contingent of three wrestlers from Pro Wrestling NOAH (the Australian tag team The Mighty Don't Kneel and GHC Champion Naomichi Marafuji) defeated Takashi Iizuka, Shelton X Benjamin, Lance Hoyt, and Davey Boy Smith, Jr. when Marafuji pinned Iizuka with the Tiger Uppercut knee strike.
• In a match with UWFi (read, shoot-fight) rules, Minoru Suzuki made Kazushi Sakuraba pass out with the rear naked choke.
• Togi Makabe won the NEVER Openweight Championship from Tomohiro Ishii with the King Kong knee drop from the top rope.
• Kenny Omega won the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship from Ryusuke Taguchi with the One-Winged Angel (electric chair into Death Valley Driver).
• Hirooki Goto and Katsuyori Shibata claimed the IWGP Tag Team Championships from Doc Gallows and Karl Anderson of the Bullet Club after Shibata pinned Gallows following the Penalty Kick.
• AJ Styles bested Tetsuya Naito with an avalanche Styles Clash.
• Kota Ibushi pulled out all the stops, but he could not claim the IWGP Intercontinental Championship from Shinsuke Nakamura, who bested his foe with a top rope Boma Ye (knee strike).
• In the main event, Hiroshi Tanahashi retained the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship with three High Fly Flows (frogsplash) and several dragon screw leg whips on challenger Kazuchika Okada.

General Observations:

• Jim Ross opened the broadcast by calling WrestleKingdom the "WrestleMania of Japan." I thought it tacky at first, but on second thought, he was brought in to relate to a generally unfamiliar audience, so I was okay with it.
• I will never not mark out for Alex Kozlov's Russian hat dance kicks. However, the usual Forever Hooligans feigned breakup-and-makeup spot didn't happen in this match, which was kind of a bummer.
• In fact, most of the match was really hard to take notes for because it was such a car-crash. Bodies flying everywhere, tags made at whims, dives to the outside for everyone. All of those statements are not complaints.
• Matt Striker trying to get Ross to call the Meltzer Driver (springboard flip assist tombstone piledriver) by that name was the best thing on commentary all night long. I do give credit to Ross actually asking "Are we gonna have a superkick party right now? though."
• I know that Jeff Jarrett being part of the Bullet Club has to do with him partnering with NJPW and having his Global Force Wrestling distribute the PPV to America, but Scott D'Amore? Really? Next thing you know they're gonna start recruiting the kids of wrestlers from the nWo... oh wait.
• The first I've ever seen of Tomoaki Honma was in the trios match, and holy shit, he was JACKED. He also looked like he could be an elseworlds version of Akira Tozawa that's been fed a Mario mushroom...
• Ross described Satoshi Kojima's Ace Crusher as a "modified version of a Stone Cold Stunner," to which Striker replied "What?" It was the only time I ever popped for that execution on the word/phrasing.
• Honma selling his headbutts, even the ones he successfully hit, had me all:😍
• Jarrett hitting his own teammate with the El Kabong? It's like he never left TNA!
• The way that crowd popped for Honma hitting the top rope headbutt sounded like he'd just bodyslammed Andre the Giant in front of 93 million people at the Silverdome, brother.
• Seeing the Pro Wrestling NOAH GHC Champion come out during a low-card match felt weird in that Naomichi Marafuji could have been implemented for a match with more cache. It was also weird because I'm used to the American mainstream model where top-flight companies hurl feces at each other rather than work together. I guess in Japan it's more common? Or maybe NOAH isn't that big of a deal anymore.
• The ring in New Japan is set up so that it has one large, vertical pad that covers all three turnbuckles rather than having an individual one for each, and Striker informed everyone that those pads had metal bars in them. So when Toru Yano removed one of them and Takashi Iizuka used it as a SERIOUS weapon, it not only provided some visual levity, but it had something behind it as well.
• Kazushi Sakuraba came to the ring in flip-flops. I would've marked out if he actually wrestled in them, but they were there just to protect the bottoms of his taped feet upon entrance.
• I have to admit that I checked out of most of the commentary for the Sakuraba/Minoru Suzuki match because of how heavy on MMA background and story it was. The match itself was probably fine for fans of the shoot-hybrid/MMA style, but I just didn't "get" it if that makes sense.
• Tomohiro Ishii and Togi Makabe began their match by ramming into each other as hard as they could, and I fucking loved it. Few things in wrestling make me happier than when two big hoss types ram into each other like elephant seals.
• After the initial sequence, Makabe started to grate on me. His movements around the ring reminded me a lot of Michael Elgin, which is not a prime comparison. He looked like a bad robot.
• Ishii, however, he had my heart from the moment he dropped Makabe with a fucking EVEREST superplex.
• I did appreciate that Makabe made attempts to block some moves, especially the gamengiri attempt towards the end of the match.
• Neckbreaker lariat. Do not click this Vine if you're faint of heart. DON'T. Ishii was alright afterwards because I'm not sure he's human.
• Strike name-dropped Pegasus Kid, aka [REDACTED]'s name back in the '90s. It made my heart sad.
• I remember seeing Kenny Omega in Pro Wrestling Guerrilla as this clean-cut but nerdy and weird babyface type, so seeing him walk out with full-on salt-and-pepper hair sleazing it up like he was the villain in a film noir was a bit jarring. He was totally into it, of course.
• Omega whipped Ryusuke Taguchi into the corner and then lightly double slapped his chest as if to mock him. Taguchi responded by going completely apeshit, which was the appropriate response.
• Taguchi would later hit Omega with a butt-butt to the face and do a twerk-esque wiggle. Thankfully, JBL wasn't there to shout TWERKIN' for the rest of the match.
• The Young Bucks accompanied Omega to the ring and ran a bunch of interference, at one point allowing Omega to spray Taguchi with the cooling mist that the wrestlers get after especially brutal matches.
• Omega tried giving Taguchi a running buckle bomb, but Taguchi countered it with a rana at such high speed that I thought Omega died. Seriously, he bumped like he was shot out of a cannon.
• Amber O'Neal, known only as the "Bullet Babe" to the announce team (ugh), made her debut as her real life husband Doc Gallows' valet. She did the full Melina-split on the apron entrance and held it for at least a minute if not longer. That feat was probably top five in terms of physical strain on the show.
• Katsuyori Shibata and Hirooki Goto kept going for the "one guy holds the opponent and the other guy attacks" spot during the match and failing, the first coming early on. It was an example of a spot that they kept teasing and teasing until they successfully hit it, which the crowd rewarded with some noise.
• Gallows at one point tried to fishhook Goto, which earned him my heart.
• Ross really wanted everyone to know that Goto and Shibata were on the same high school wrestling team, as he mentioned it every other minute during the match and again afterwards. It didn't really enhance the match, but I now oddly want to see a coming of age comedy starring the two.
• Ross and Striker talked about the real life controversy surrounding AJ Styles' finisher, the Styles Clash, before his match with Tetsuya Naito. I guess Ol' Horb was right and they want Styles to be the new Ox Baker.
• Styles started working the leg on Naito early on in the match, and Naito barely sold it until right before, towards the end, when Styles put him in the Calf-Cutter. That's not fighting spirit (because Kazuchika Okada would sell his leg extensively in the main), that's garbage wrestling.
• Styles broke out a Bloody Sunday (single arm Impaler DDT), which makes sense since when he kicked Prince Devitt out of Bullet Club, he absorbed all his finishers to go with it.
• The recap reel for the Shinsuke Nakamura/Kota Ibushi match was in Japanese so I had no idea what was being said. However, it was notable for two things. First, DUBSTEP! Second, the reel actually showed clips from Ibushi's run in DDT wrestling blow-up dolls and outside in "fight anywhere" situations.
• The entrances for WrestleKingdom this year were a bit tame compared to the ones I saw from last year's event except for one. Nakamura owned that shit again. Seriously. People do not call him Swagsuke for nothing.
• Most absurd moment of the night came when Nakamura was entering the ring, completing his peacocking Michael Jackson entrance and Ross started going on about his MMA and kickboxing training. I understand the desire to put everyone over as this macho, aggro badass, but c'mon, at least have a little self-awareness, Jimmy.
• Ibushi got Nakamura in the corner early on in the match and scraped his face with his boot. As pointed out by the commentators, that was one of Nakamura's spots, and he didn't take too kindly to it. Good way to kick a blood feud match into high gear.
• At one point, Nakamura had Ibushi laying on the mat with his head over the apron, and he just battered him with knees of all shapes and sizes. If Ross wanted a point to remind people that Nakamura had all that shoot-fighting training, it would have been that spot.
• In the jaw-dropping moves of athleticism department, Ibushi took the opportunity to attack a dazed Nakamura on the outside of the ring by leaping up onto the support bar between the ringpost and turnbuckle and seamlessly jump into a springboard moonsault.
• NJPW really needs to invest in picture-in-picture technology, because the replays taking up the whole screen got old after the first couple in the opening match. By the time Ibushi/Nakamura rolled around, it was downright distracting.
• Nakamura was rolling around the apron, and Ibushi just grabbed the coif on top of his head like he was in Super Mario Bros. 2 picking a turnip out of the ground. What followed was perhaps the most vicious yet graceful things I've ever seen. Ibushi basically grabbed Nakamura, springboarded off the top rope, and hit him with a German suplex. If your jaw wasn't on the floor after seeing that, I'd have to check you for signs of life.
• Ross announced that the main event would be Hiroshi Tanahashi's ninth at the Tokyo Dome, which was the most ever for a NJPW wrestler. Basically, Ross confirmed that Tanahashi was Japanese John Cena.
• I haven't watched too much Tanahashi in the past, but seeing him brawl around with Okada on the outside, put him on his ass while on the ramp, and then prance up and down the ramp playing air guitar until Okada caught him with the Heavy Rain (basically, a modified Attitude Adjustment) signals that he's kind of a dork, right?
• Okada can be added to the list of people who have a better top rope elbow drop than CM Punk, which right now is everyone else whom I've seen do a top rope elbow drop except for CM Punk.
• Okada and Tanahashi brawled to the outside again, with Tanahashi sending Okada over the barricade into the "no-man's land" between the crowd and the ring. He then went to the top and hit a cross-body variant of his High Fly Flow on Tanahashi OVER the barricade. It was a simple spot that just required a far jump, but it looked damn impressive.
• The counterwrestling in this match was superb, especially towards the end. Okada at one point rolled through a High Fly Flow attempt to get Tanahashi in position for a tombstone, which Tanahashi himself reversed. These guys wrestled like it was their seventh or eighth time in the ring together.
• Ross spent the entire match putting over Okada's dropkick that I thought he was going to have an embolism when he finally hit it. To Ross' credit, Okada does have a fucking fly-ass dropkick.
• After the match, Tanahashi got on the mic to seemingly call out to a dejected and sobbing Okada as he was limping towards the back. Striker confirmed a translation later, saying that Tanahashi said that Okada was a long way from being the ace of New Japan and that he was happy he was still said ace. I have no idea the nooks and crannies of NJPW booking, and this show was my first full exposure, but having no other context to go by, I'd have thought that Tanahashi just turned heel.

Match of the Night:Shinsuke Nakamura (c) vs. Kota Ibushi, IWGP Intercontinental Championship Match - A great match can let one know its story without the benefit of a single recap package, without an announcer telling the audience explicitly why the two are fighting, without anything but the action in the ring. Nakamura and Ibushi had all the hallmarks of a tremendous big-time fight just from spots alone. But why their match was the absolute best on the card was how they were able to tell a complete, actualized story without speaking a word. Nakamura was the unquestioned King of Strong Style, a flamboyant yet completely proficient wrestling machine with lethal knees and inimitable flair. Ibushi was the contender to the throne, the mad, pain-craving upstart whose plan was to usurp Nakamura's position by getting inside his head and overthrowing him from within. The match's narrative was established within minutes when Ibushi scraped his boot across Nakamura's face, and it was built upon slowly but steadily until the rocket-powered finish. It was a side of Ibushi I had never seen before, but it was a welcomed evolution for his character.

OF course, Ibushi's patented aerial pyrotechnics were still present. The man can do amazing things with his body, like his seamless running shooting star press or a running springboard moonsault to the outside where he balanced himself on the turnbuckle support bar, which is way thinner and more narrow than the turnbuckles guys use in America. Even on moves he missed, he set himself up as fodder for Nakamura to be brilliant, like when he missed the Phoenix splash that went right into Nakamura's desperation enzu Boma Ye. Nakamura was nearly flawless as well through everything he did in the match, but most notably were his facial expressions and body language. Jim Ross spent so much of the match trying to put over his "legit"bona fides that he missed out on what seems to make him special. He can kick your ass and do it like a veritable peacock, but his facial expressions sell the situations he's in just as much.

But the best facial expression he had led into the biggest spot of the night and one of the most insane spots I've ever seen in a wrestling show. The look of utter horror when Ibushi grabbed the tuft of hair on the top of his head perfectly foreshadowed the destruction he was about to absorb in the form of a springboard German superplex. Yet, that move wasn't enough to put away the King of Strong-Style. The old adage from The Wire says "If you come at the King, you best not miss," but for Ibushi, even if you don't miss, you may not be able to take him out anyway. That's why, after all, he IS the King.

Overall Thoughts: I went into the show knowing a little bit about New Japan Pro Wrestling, as any good dorky wrestling writer-slash-fan would. I knew some of the beats, most of the names, and the reputation it had for its in-ring quality but also how it has informed the American indies, which could have been a blessing or curse. I didn't expect to get the full immersion in one show; expecting to become a full fan with great knowledge after one show would be ludicrous. However, the broadcast presented a familiar, easy-to-pick up wrestling promotion that had enough of a learning curve for first-timers with what I imagine must have been fulfillment for people who have been following the promotion for months if not years, given the wide praise I've been seeing around the familiar corners of the 'Net. That ersatz familiarity started with the announce team.

Jim Ross was supposed to be the draw as an announcer, but it was his colleague Matt Striker who shone brightest from the booth. His ebullient, fact-font style of color commentary didn't work after he left WWE's version of ECW, but his game fit perfectly in a more sports-oriented broadcast. Pro wrestling seems to be treated more as legitimate competition in Japan and less as spectacle (which I guess is why Minoru Suzuki and Kazushi Sakuraba could have a worked shoot fight in the middle of the card and no one batted an eyelash), and Striker's skillset was better suited for that environment. He was informative and engaging, and he actually picked up for Ross when he struggled. For some, imagining the greatest play-by-play announcer they've ever heard struggling is a reach, but Ross didn't have his A-game here, and he needed someone like Striker to get him comfortable with the wrestlers and the traditions. He knew what to say and when to say it.

Even though Ross did struggle at times remembering names or hitting on certain beats, he was a million times better than the last time I heard him do play-by-play in WWE. He may have lost his fastball when it comes to the "put over the story" type of commentating that made him a legend in the late '90s, but he adapted to this broadcast partially by calling the action as if it was a sport and partially by acting as a hybridized color commentator. Granted, Ross had a few cringeworthy lines during the broadcast that either stemmed from his "get off my dang lawn" old man tendencies (like when he snarked the line about Champions entering last like they should as if it was the one problem plaguing every wrestling promotion in existence) or from a seeming agenda to convince people that wrestling wasn't fake or that it was a legit sport with no sense of irony. Seriously, one does not promote Shinsuke Nakamura by pretending he's Suzuki and downplaying his Michael Jackson homage act. And when he described Kazuchika Okada as a "nice, polite young man," I laughed at either the blatant disregard for kayfabe or the complete nearsightedness of describing the strip club dollar guy as anything demure. Still, regardless of his flubs, he was a steady voice for the show who knew how to get the action over in the ring for the most part.

But that action in the ring wasn't nearly as foreign as one might imagine going in. Perhaps opening the show with no fewer than five wrestlers who should be familiar to American audiences (and another two who have worked dates for Ring of Honor and Pro Wrestling Guerrilla) was to remind people that the American indie scene has borrowed extensively from puroresu for a long time. Maybe wrestling itself doesn't have a language barrier and that styles in each country aren't so different from each other after all. Or maybe these guys are really the best in the world at what they do and can get their points across easily to any audience. I have no real answer for why the show came across as accessibly as it did, but the fact remains that the important beats were hit in the best matches.

It wasn't a perfect show by any means, however. The period between the tag team opener and the bell on Tomohiro Ishii and Togi Makabe felt disjointed and a bit slow. Outside of Tomoaki Honma, who grabbed my attention starting with his ring entrance, I didn't find a whole lot to love in matches two through four. I am willing to admit that I might have an inherent, institutional bias against a worked MMA match, which is why I wasn't feeling Suzuki and Sakuraba, but the beauty of the show was that it was only one match out of ten. But then once the NEVER Championship match started, the show started to build and build. A four hour show can be a tricky gambit to ask someone to sit through, but rather than front-load the show, the doldrums got out of the way early, the action demanded one's attention as the telecast progressed, and the use of strategically placed vignettes, whether it was to announce the future schedule or to set up for the two big matches, were able to refresh better than any cooldown match ever could.

That atmosphere speaks to the wrestlers as much as it does the format. Nakamura and Kota Ibushi wrestled maybe the finest match in all pro wrestling for the last 12 months, and no one in their right minds would want to follow them. But Okada and Hiroshi Tanahashi, who've done the thing before, went out, told their story, and kept people invested. The main wrestlers weren't the only ones who kept the flow moving at a crisp pace. Honma was a highlight during the slow early portion of the show. Ishii dished out and took some of the most vicious shots anyone could ever see. Kenny Omega showed what it would be like if Cosmo Kramer fused with Brian Pillman and became an evil wrestler. Both tag matches had fire, and the opening tag match was the perfect contest to open the telecast. Not everything seemed to fit, but enough was in place to make WrestleKingdom 9 a marquee event for people of every experience level. All anyone could want in a wrestling show is to be able to sit down and be satisfied. I'm not sure how the longtime fans were satisfied with the booking - I still need to pick up some nuance in that department - but as a rookie NJPW viewer, I couldn't be happier with the show, and I will be back again in the future.

Does anyone believe Ziggler will be gone more than a couple of weeks? Photo Credit: WWE.com

When was the last time someone was fired on WWE programming who didn't come back almost immediately? Forget those who were legitimately future endeavored; people who have quit or were fired for story purposes never stay gone for any amount of time worthy of being missed. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, but that absence has to be more than a week. Wrestling fans tend not to be horny teenage lovers who can't keep their mitts off each other with people who aren't over, especially when those fans have been burnt before on these kinds of angles. Basically, WWE and its creative team collectively are the boy who cried wolf. Every time that collective produced a firing angle, it got people in a tizzy thinking that a missed time story was afoot and that wrestler would be gone for a bit. Yet each angle was flat and produced an immediate return.

I'm not saying that Dolph Ziggler, Ryback, and Erick Rowan will be off television for months. WWE has given no one any reason to believe its stories have that kind of believability. However, the execution on how those three ended up losing their jobs, how The Authority's plan built organically from its return last week and how it passive-aggressively set John Cena up to be a do-nothing, impotent figure who didn't care about anything but his own ends, that was all A+ villainy. Stephanie McMahon and Triple H returned to the show without missing a beat and they actually had some material with which to work instead of just chewing the fat and saying "Best for business"ad infinitum. The generic "evil authority figure punishing the babyfaces" match booking was tied together by the show's overrun. And the choice of The Authority first high-tailing it out of the ring and then giving their verdicts as Cena stood behind the fired with Sousa blaring on the speakers and confetti raining down from the ceiling, oh man, that all hit the spot. In a vacuum, RAW's main arc gave it purpose.

But the thing about the boy who cried wolf is that when he was really in danger, no one believed him, and he ended up being devoured. The stakes here for WWE aren't as grim, but for all the work that the wrestlers and various NPCs with microphones put in to turn in a solid effort, the reactions rolling through tend to be more unkind and pessimistic. You reap what you sow, and when the seeds of apathy are planted, one cannot be surprised when the reactions to what should be major, groundbreaking stuff are less than bountiful.

Basically, WWE has to disabuse itself of this goldfish-memory booking and get some kind of plan that's longer than a week in advance and is not subject to last-minute rewrites that undo any kind of narrative momentum. In all honesty, Ziggler could use a couple of months off for all the prop bumping he does. Ryback and Rowan can show up in NXT, which has a good narrative structure going on and is actually treated as a separate entity from main WWE. In fact, NXT's successes have reportedly spooked Vince McMahon, and instead of seeing how he could learn from people within his company, he's taking the old contrarian routine of saying that the thing that threatens him that he has no hand in is overrated. I take all those backstage reports with a grain of salt because who the fuck knows what really goes on in Gorilla and beyond, but the WWE show really does, at times, feel like it's written by a guy whose main motivating factor is spite, doesn't it?

The good brothers were Cabana's latest guests Photo Credit: Scott Finkelstein

If you're new, here's the rundown: I listen to a handful of wrestling podcasts each week. Too many, probably, though certainly not all of them. In the interest of saving you time — in case you have the restraint to skip certain episodes — the plan is to give the bare bones of a given show and let you decide if it’s worth investing the time to hear the whole thing. There are better wrestling podcasts out there, of course, but these are the ones in my regular rotation that I feel best fit the category of hit or miss. If I can save other folks some time, I'm happy to do so.

Show: Art Of Wrestling
Episode: 231 (Jan. 1, 2015)
Run Time: 1:03:36
Guest: Bullet Club (Luke Gallows, Karl Anderson; 11:45)

Summary: Colt Cabana invites former guests Gallows and Anderson onto the show together primarily to discuss their roles as Bullet Club members and to promote Wrestle Kingdom 9. The chat is pretty disorganized at the outset as the guys talk about their “Talk’n Shop” podcast. That bleeds into a look at how American fans connect with the guys who are major stars in Japan, the Bullet Club itself, interactions with Japanese wrestlers, a quick look at the Young Bucks and life in Atlanta and their feelings about the success of Fergal “Finn Balor” Devitt. Gallows and Anderson then talk about becoming a team, the challenges of microphone work in Japan, promote WK9 and end by discussing their current life on the American independent scene.

Quote of the week: Anderson: “As over as anybody can ever get in New Japan, even Ferg wasn’t on all the posters. Like he was as over as you could possibly get… as a foreigner in New Japan. … Especially right before he left is when he really got over because he was a junior weight getting pushed to a heavyweight status, and so the people really fuckin’ looked at him like he was a superstar. He was never on the posters. Cause you know what? At the end of the day we’re still just foreigners. We’re replacements.”

Gallows: “Well that’s our job, is to make them…”

Anderson: “Come in and make them look good. But they’re pushing us to the moon right now, so I don’t understand why they can’t … give us a little poster love.”

Why you should listen: It’s clear how much fun these guys are having together, and for many listeners there’s a degree of excitement over being allowed to join the party. At the moments when they do get semi-serious, there is good insight about the dual nature of roaring overseas success and if and how it parlays into a Stateside career, which might be a first for Cabana’s show, at least in regards to performers currently riding the wave in Japan.

Why you should skip it: This is not the show to gain any deep insight into Gallows or Anderson — for that you have to head into the back catalog for their initial appearances. Neither is this some sort of primer for WK9. They do pump the show, but it’s by no means a full rundown of what to look for on a four-hour card. And the near incessant laughter will bother some listeners, as will the likelihood some will struggle to differentiate between which guest is speaking at a given time, if they’re not talking over each other.

Final thoughts: For what it was, I enjoyed this episode. Certainly if you’re only aware of Anderson because of his appearance earlier in the week on Jim Ross’ show, this spot will do much more to prove he’s a charismatic entertainer. If you’re a regular Talk’n Shop listener (I am not), it might be nice to hear the chemistry spill into Cabana’s show, or it might be overkill for a tandem with which you’re already quite familiar. Ultimately it’s becoming increasingly clear that to be a professional wrestling fan in 2015 you need to at least have a working knowledge of NJPW, and any chance to connect to the promotion through its American-based stars is probably a worthwhile time investment.

Only the names change... Photo Credit: WWE.com

What a goddamn year. What a goddamn terrible year.

Promotion: World Wrestling Entertainment

What Happened in 2014: Do I really need to write a long recap of what happened in the last year? This shitbag company is right where it was 365 days ago. Daniel Bryan still has megaheat with the Authority, but he probably won't win the Royal Rumble because some muscled up dude that Vince McMahon has a hard-on for will take it to the vocal chagrin of the crowd. An organically arisen folk hero type has been beaten down by terrible booking and now is feuding with Bray Wyatt, whom main roster creative has no idea how to book. Dolph Ziggler is still in the Intercontinental Championship scene. John Cena is slated to get the title shot at the Royal Rumble. The biggest differences are who holds the WWE World Heavyweight Championship (trade Randy Orton for Brock Lesnar) and The Shield is broken up. Oh yeah, CM Punk left, but that story's been beaten into the goddamn ground anyway.

This year has been an exercise in WWE's corporate hivemind grinding anyone who has a shot to ignite the base and gather in the precious casual fans into a fine paste. Daniel Bryan could have finally broken through, but he got hurt, which is totally WWE's fault and not WWE's fault in the same breath so to speak. Everyone else though has been busted and made into "just another guy" by terrible, recursive booking. WWE broke up The Shield when that stable had so much useful life left, and the process was done in the most ass-backwards way possible. The stable consisted an edgy loner, the best possible Jeff Hardy, and a still-green-around-the-gills big guy who might have been GREAT as the muscle in a bad guy stable. So who broke up the group? Yup, Seth Rollins did.

When it all went to shit Photo Credit: WWE.com

Sure, he's been as protected as someone not named John Cena could be. But has he been really effective in his role? High spots and prop bumping were his strengths in the ring, and his promo abilities were best used in pithy, forceful statements. So of course WWE puts him in a role where he has to work as a Triple H-style heel and cut overlong promos that meandered too faraway from the path they were supposed to be on. Roman Reigns was a much better candidate to turn heel if breaking up the group was the way to go (and I'm not sure it was), but instead, he was asked to play the post-2008 John Cena role without ever really earning the right to play it. Ever wonder why Sheamus flopped as the 1a babyface? He never had the 2002-04 run that Cena had, nor did he have the proper ascension the way Cena did. Reigns is the same way, and he's not a tenth of the performer Sheamus is right now.

The only guy WWE got remotely right out of that breakup was Dean Ambrose, and it ruined him through terrible, nonsensical twists and turns at the ends of every PPV which he headlined. One could defend the bait and switch at Battleground as furthering an angle, but then every other major twist and turn with Ambrose was left dangling except possibly SummerSlam. He got his head mushed in the cinder blocks only for Bray Wyatt to magically appear and cost him his win against Rollins at Hell in a Cell. Then the Survivor Series match vs. Wyatt turned out to be a commercial for TLC, which ended via exploding fucking television. Ambrose has been made to look like someone with mutant unintelligence, and every single opponent he's had has looked like a fucking buffoon in the process. Meanwhile, his crowd reactions have gotten increasingly muddled with every awful, unnecessary twist in his story.

Oh, and speaking of Wyatt, WWE had a sure thing with him. Just let him stand up in the ring or on the Tron and talk. Even if what he said was garbled nonsense, his cadence and delivery got people's attentions. But WWE fucked him up. The allure in his character is partially powered by zombie hillbilly magic, sure, but the reason why he was such a phenomenon in NXT was because he was able to fundamentally change people, even if the only people he really ensnared were Erick Rowan and Luke Harper. Everyone else who feuded with him came out of it the same way they went into it. No one was affected. No one changed.

The primest candidate for a character refresher via Wyatt was Cena himfuckingself. Even though every thinkpiece has been written about why Cena should turn heel according to official WWE canon (ignoring the fact that Cena is already a heel to everyone who boos him anyway and that alignment dynamics in WWE are irreparably broken), everyone should realize why that reality can't happen just yet. However, Cena still could and probably should have been given some freshening up on his character. A feud with Wyatt could have made him change his demeanor and added somewhat of an edge to his character, made him question his existence or at least his position in the company. But nope, he plowed through Wyatt like an ox on speed tilling a field on a spring day.

And of course, the reality as to why Cena can't "turn heel" right now is because Cena is the only good guy who gets protected in a fashion that befits sustained crowd reactions. Even when Brock Lesnar murder-death-killed him at SummerSlam, Cena came right back the next month at Night of Champions and needed a Rollins failed Money in the Bank cash-in to fail at regaining the title. Nothing ever changes with Cena. He's more static than anything in the world, and he reinforces that view every time he tells someone that they have to go through him to claim the brass ring that Vince McMahon says no one on the roster wants to grab. Maybe the wrestlers don't lack desire to grab that ring; maybe Cena's just not letting them get to it. Or more accurately, maybe McMahon and his creative team don't let anyone but Cena grab said rings.

His treatment's been a travesty Photo Credit: WWE.com

Seriously, Cesaro going from hottest thing since a set of twin babies to running joke was creative's fault (and Paul Heyman's too).

Brock Lesnar's severe mishandling is the fault of both creative and McMahon's skinflint spending on dates.

Ambrose becoming just another dude was creative's fault.

Reigns' lack of development was creative's fault.

Ryback's hot return fizzling out within a month was creative's fault.

Dolph Ziggler is getting super huge babyface reactions IN SPITE of creative.

Kofi Kingston, Big E, Sheamus, Damien Sandow, the Rhodes Bros., the entire Divas division, everyone who has missed the mark in 2014 in WWE can successfully blame creative in some way. This isn't excuse-mongering. The performances stare viewers right in the face. The things the wrestlers can control often reach some baseline of quality. The decisions that are out of their control often are the ones that baffle and disappoint. But hey, totally make a meme out of your revolutionary idea instead of running it well. Ugh, fuck this company.

One of the few bright spots this year Photo Credit: WWE.com

2014 MVP: For everything that has gone totally wrong in WWE in 2014, one thing that has come almost too perfectly together has been the ascent of Rusev and Lana. The act has come together to bring about an anomaly in main roster WWE; they are a midcard tandem that has taken its albeit simple role and thrived with it. Every feud Rusev engages in has heat, and he's become a steady hand in the ring. Hopefully, WWE doesn't just feed him to John Cena going forward, because he could be a cornerstone for years to come.

What's Going to Happen in 2015: For as bad as 2014 was, could 2015 have a kernel of hope to reclaiming the glory of 2013? Daniel Bryan has been cleared to reenter the ring, while Dolph Ziggler seems to be stabilizing the Intercontinental Championship. However, creative may be preparing to pull the rug out from everyone by going through with the plan to have Roman Reigns win the Royal Rumble and be the guy who sends Brock Lesnar back to UFC. On one hand, Reigns gets decent reactions from the crowd, and he seems to be learning fast enough that he could be a decent option to be the guy at Mania. On the other, what story would be better for him, ousting Lesnar or finishing what Seth Rollins started when he broke The Shield up? Then again, is it a lock that Lesnar makes it to Mania as Champion and not Rollins?

No matter what any dirtsheet or Reddit user with "backstage ties" says, Mania plans usually aren't set in stone until the day of the Rumble. WWE switches directions so many times in a given month that for all anyone knows, Lesnar could be dropping the belt to Mark Henry at Mania as a payback for all the times the former murked the latter early last year. If I had to trust my gut, however, especially after the year WWE had last year, I would grit my teeth and project Reigns as the guy beating Lesnar at Mania.

Who will send Brock back to UFC? Photo Credit: WWE.com

The interesting question if that happened is when would Rollins cash in, because Rollins cashing in on Reigns is the story to tell. For the deed to happen right after Reigns' match at Mania sounds like the most tantalizing option, but ever since WrestleMania 2000 and X-7, when Triple H walked out as WWE Champion and Steve Austin turned heel to join Mr. McMahon respectively, WWE has seemingly soured on anything but a happy ending for the biggest show of the year. The best money would go on Rollins waiting no longer than the RAW right after Mania to become Champion. That show seems to be when all the shocking things happen.

Five Wrestlers to Watch in 2015:Finn Bálor - Of all the current wrestlers in NXT, the former Prince Devitt might have the most upside. His wrestling abilities are not in question, and he has the most potential to break out with his body painting and devilish good looks. As long as Vince McMahon doesn't get the urge to put him with Sheamus as his little buddy, expect big things from Bálor in 2015 once he makes it to the main roster.

Darren Young - Young has returned from his knee injury and he looks great. WWE dropped the ball pushing him in the wake of him coming out of the closet. While I wouldn't expect him to continue on as a gay character, he can still be a symbolic wrestler for the gay community to latch onto. Plus, he's damn good at what he does between the ropes. If  the Intercontinental and US Title scenes continue to be rehabbed at the current rate, Young could very well be a great fit into one of them, especially as an opponent for Rusev down the line.

Wyatt seems bulletproof Photo Credit: WWE.com

Bray Wyatt - WWE still has no idea what to do with Wyatt, but in spite of its bungling of the Eater of Worlds, he remains popular with the fans at large. He's already tangled with Daniel Bryan, John Cena, and now Dean Ambrose. Wyatt may not hold the WWE Championship ever in his career, but he seems to possess a larger-than-life personality that transcends even the shittiest booking. Look for him to be a big deal in the coming year, and not just for his promos either.

Luke Harper - Harper could have the most upward mobility of anyone who hasn't already flirted with the main event on the roster. He's relatively unscathed by bad booking, and he's got both size, working ability, and a wide-eyed charisma that can take a big dude like him places. WWE is a company starved for big time heels right now, and Harper could be the guy who breaks through and is able to carry a huge program into WrestleMania XXXII next year with the right breaks.

Cody Rhodes - His partnership with his brother seems to be on the downswing, but after the probable WrestleMania match, where will he go? My guess is he will use that momentum into Money in the Bank and be one of the odds-on favorites to take the briefcase. Rhodes has been fermenting for a long time, and while the Stardust run has been super fun, he's ready for his big transformation into a main event wrestler.

What I Want to See in 2015:1. Do something about the fucking three-hour slog that is RAW - When the three-hour experiment launched, RAW wasn't as tedious because the show had long matches that chewed up chunks of time and made the telecast feel shorter than it was. I don't know where that zeitgeist went in 2014, but by the time the fall rolled around, RAW viewership was more a chore than a leisure activity. No weekly serialized televised wrestling program needs to be three hours, but dollar signs will keep the show at this length for the foreseeable future. So what can WWE do going forward to mitigate the length? Not rerunning the same shows every week is a good start. The roster is huge; it should be utilized as such. Diversify the runtimes, write better shows, and if all else fails, have a title match. If RAW is gonna be three hours until it gets cancelled, then it shouldn't be a slog every week.

If this match headlines a PPV again this year, feel free to scream Photo Credit: WWE.com

2. Experiment with special events/pay-per-views on The Network - I don't know when WWE's format of booking the same goddamn pay-per-view/special event card in a row for three-to-four months on end took full hold, but in 2015, the company has no goddamn excuse to run the same lineups all the time. Basically, every special event, WrestleMania inclusive, has a $9.99 pricetag thanks to the commitment-free nature of The Network. WWE can afford with fresh matchups or different concepts for shows. Spamming John Cena vs. Seth Rollins is not going to help anyone in 2015. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over again and expecting different results. What can WWE lose by giving Cesaro a one-month title program or headlining a show with a torneo cibernetico? My guess is not much more than if it gave its fans another three month long Cena/Randy Orton program, that's what.

3. More promos from people other than the usual suspects - Guys get over when they're allowed prolonged platforms for the fans to get to know them. Wrestling in matches is one way of making that connection, but longer in-ring promos can have just as much an impact, if not greater depending on the wrestler. Seth Rollins, John Cena, Triple H, and Paul Heyman get a lion's share of the mic time on a week-to-week basis, so it's not a wonder that those people are among the most over, even if in Rollins' case, that promo work has been borderline dreadful most weeks. The last RAW of 2014 featured guys who didn't normally get chances to speak to the crowd to shoot the breeze. While Cesaro's content was part of a self-defeating ZOMG REALITY ERA plot given to him by out-of-touch assholes backstage, he showed blatantly that he has "it" while speaking. More importantly, Ryback was given a chance to shed light on his motivations and to deliver exposition on a character that until now has just been murking fools, and he knocked it out of the park. Sure, they wouldn't have gotten the chance to get that mic time if WWE hadn't foolishly double-booked a house show and a RAW taping on the same night, but at the same time, it showed what RAW has been missing for a long, long time. WWE would be best served to let guys who aren't already established as firmament characters get time on the stick, and maybe more than just the usual suspects would be over.

What did OL HORB think about WrestleKingdom? Photo via Ringside News, uncredited

Happy New Year, SKOOPZ fans, your old buddy HORB FLERBMINBER is back with all the juiciest news tidbits that happened over the changing of the calendars. Pro Wrestling SKOOPZ celebrates another year publishing only the most valid and most SCINTILLATING wrestling news, rumors, and New Year's traditions. For example, which pro wrestling executive gets a FULL BLOOD TRANSPLANT every New Year's Day from Thai orphans? The answer will surprise you! This is information you can only find out from ME and maybe Dave Meltzer when he's not too busy counting the individual specks of cocaine snorted by Jon "Bones" Jones. But will Big Dave give you a free used tissue stolen from Gabe Sapolsky's pocket with every newsletter? Yes, he will, and that's why you should read me, because ew, that shit is gross.

Of course, I cannot do what I do without the help of witless jerks... err, I mean, great tipsters like you. I need people to send me all the tips they can, and I need them to be okay with me not giving them a single iota of credit for said tips. News is a rough business, and I AM UP FRONT ABOUT STEALING YOUR TIPS. Anyway, send me everything you know to ProWrestlingSKOOPZ@gmail.com. Also, if you're not following me on Twitter, then I hope your house gets mold and you end up as a Stark in the Game of Thrones Universe. But you can rectify your errors and get on my good side by following me @HorbFlerbminber. Forget getting up to the second scoops. YOU WILL GET NEWS FROM THE FUTURE. Like what wrestler is going to make news in 2016 by turning his penis into a gatling gun and shooting his BABY GRAVY all over the window of a Zumba class? You'll just have to follow me to find out.

You can get back issues of Pro Wrestling SKOOPZ, but only if you're really, really good, and you don't do anything stupid like knock over a liquor store and use the money to build a tower that projects images of the middle finger right in Bryan Alvarez's window at all hours of the day. In fact, now that the Christmas seasons is over, SANTA CLAUS HIMSELF and not the knockoff MICK FOLEY version is using his powers of seeing you when you're sleeping and knowing when you're awake to let me know which of you is worthy of getting back issues of my newsletter.

I've also gotten into knitting tail coozies for pets. It's winter time, and the tails of your cats and dogs are exposed to the bare elements. THEY COULD GET FROSTBITE. So I have invented the INGENIOUS product of putting a covering on their tails so that ALL EXTREMITIES can stay warm. Don't believe me? Ask Tara Dactil of Jersey Shore, PA for a testimonial:

I ordered a tail coozie, and I got a box of condoms. Uh, I could have paid like $20 less at my local drug store.

Another satisfied customer.

Also, remember the Alamo.

- The biggest news from this past weekend was the utter and conquering success of WrestleKingdom 9, only the greatest professional wrestling spectacle known to mankind and all other sentient beings that may or may not exist in the known universe. Once the show was finished, I stood up and shed a tear. I DIDN'T EVEN CRY WHEN MY FATHER DIED OF THE CONSUMPTION. I gave every match five stars EXCEPT the main event, which I gave SEVENTEEN STARS. You just can't buy storytelling like that, how the brave old veteran stood up for his turf and REFUSED to put over the young star. It was an emotional clash for the ages.

- John Cena once again reinforced Vince McMahon's "brass rings" comment again in interviews all over the country. When will he learn to put younger talent over?

- Jon Jones benzoylecgonine, as secondary metabolites on 4 December 2014 announced the Nevada State Gaming Commission to visit without monitoring test found cocaine in drug treatment, which will come into Tuesday programs: UFC light heavyweight.

Smoking World Anti Agency (Nevada), because it is Jones, a 27-year-old can not be removed competition, and after graduation, not, or Daniel Cormier January unanimous victory over the third weekend a decision.

- CM Punk is currently moving into his gym so he can train every waking moment of his life for his hugest match ever in UFC. Sources say that he even paid Corey Graves to go on vacation with his wife AJ Lee in Puerto Rico so that no one would suspect a thing.

- Dixie Carter spent the last of petty cash to sponsor herself trending on Yahoo! this afternoon. Sources say that because of the move, Sanada and DJ Z will be working the next set of tapings for free.

- Vince McMahon sent out an interoffice memorandum, typed up by his secretary on her Underwood typewriter and reproduced by mimeograph, stating that he believes NXT to be "overrated." He would go onto claim that the stars of the developmental program didn't have the drive or desire as young whippersnappers like Rico Constantino, Diamond Dallas Page, and Jack Brisco have. No one had the heart to tell him that Brisco had passed away a few years back.

- The current card for WrestleMania is as follows: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. It could, I am told, change at any moment to (╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻ or possibly to Sting vs. Undertaker vs. Brock Lesnar.

- The roster was very unhappy after Monday night's episode of RAW. If Dolph Ziggler, Ryback, and Erick Rowan could be fired for no reason, then what's stopping The Authority from firing everyone, willy nilly?

- Taz has launched a new podcast, which proves that the wrestler podcast bubble has officially popped.

- It's a new month, so wrestling news sites are anxiously awaiting their new shipments of "IS AJ LEE LEAVING WWE?" news stories with baited breath. Sources say that the shipments should arrive no later than Friday.

- Christian refuted Jerry Lawler's assertion that he had retired from last week's episode of RAW by saying he is active and working towards a return to a WWE ring. However, in the process, he tore his calf muscle and herniated the C4 disc in his vertebra, and will require extensive surgery to repair both injuries. He will be out for another six-to-eight months.

- Vince McMahon announced that the WWE Network will finally be available to the UK and Ireland starting January 19. However, the service will be more expensive for British and Irish subscribers to defray the cost of adding a superfluous "u" to several words on the chyron.

- Inspire Pro Wrestling drew so many people to its latest show that it violated the Marchesa Theater's fire code, but please, go ahead and say that wrestling is dead outside of WWE in America.

- Rey Mysterio's contract will not be automatically renewed by WWE, and he will be free to pursue other wrestling endeavors in March when it expires. Mysterio celebrated by running through an open meadow, hands in the air and smile on his face, but in the process, he tore his right meniscus and will be out another six-to-eight months.

- Last week's poll results are in, and 44% of you said your wrestling New Year's resolution is to attempt treating women like second-class citizens instead of objects, 25% said you were only going to pirate wrestling shows if the promoter was a scumbag, 21% said you would only Skype with Sunny once every other week instead of twice a week, and 10% said you would stop hate-watching RAW all the damn time. This week's poll:

Dixie Carter is Jim Ross' latest guest

If you're new, here's the rundown: I listen to a handful of wrestling podcasts each week. Too many, probably, though certainly not all of them. In the interest of saving you time — in case you have the restraint to skip certain episodes — the plan is to give the bare bones of a given show and let you decide if it’s worth investing the time to hear the whole thing. There are better wrestling podcasts out there, of course, but these are the ones in my regular rotation that I feel best fit the category of hit or miss. If I can save other folks some time, I'm happy to do so.

Show: The Ross Report
Episode: 47 (Jan. 7, 2015)
Run Time: 1:26:05
Guest: Dixie Carter (24:39)

Summary: Jim Ross opens the show with his usual monologue, spraying to all fields. When he finally brings on the woman who runs TNA, they talk about the promotion’s new TV home on Destination America and targeted demographics. The conversation, peppered with questions from Ross’ Twitter followers, then goes on to cover Bobby Lashely, future expansion to Canada or Mexico, the TNA name, upcoming TV tapings and changes at the announce desk, the production team, cooperation with other promotions, touring vs. broadcasts and AJ Styles and Vince Russo.

Quote of the week: Carter: “I’m trying to get people who’ve done this for a long time to look at this with fresh eyes and just say (wrestling) doesn’t have to be the way it’s always been. I think we’ve got some really exciting things that people are buying into, that they believe on and that they’re excited about. I don’t want to talk too much about it, I’d rather just kind of unfold this year and then you call me back and we’ll talk again and you tell me if you liked it or not.”

Why you should listen: To get as much direct-from-the-source information as possible about the future of TNA. Ross asks a lot of business-side questions (his comments on the creative side, at least between the bells, are positive bordering on effusive) and Carter seems to respond with accurate information that will be relevant to longtime TNA supporters.

Why you should skip it: Carter is unfailingly upbeat about the present and future state of TNA, and it more than once comes off as either dishonest or disconnected with reality. Beyond that, don’t tune in expecting JR to recap his WrestleKingdom 9 experience, he’s put that off a week. And for people who don’t watch any TNA whatsoever, there’s a good chance the entire interview is uninteresting, or at the very least unnecessary.

Final thoughts: This isn’t exactly Vince McMahon sitting down with Steve Austin. I give Carter credit for doing the interview, and obviously the timing is key. But the Ross who interviews Carter is not the same Ross we’ve heard give frank assessments of TNA in his monologues off and on over the past 46 weeks. Ultimately this chat boils down to a softball, PR session, though it’s hard to imagine Carter agreeing to anything else. Adjust your expectations going in and it might not disappoint.

Women getting to wrestle for 15 minutes. Announcers focused on their skills while they do it. A little bit of out-of-the-ring shenanigans to advance the story, but still with a clean finish to put a cherry on the sundae.

It's amazing what WWE programming can be -- when it's not on Monday nights.

Make no mistake, the reason minor miracles are allowed to occur and even flourish on Tuesday nights is because of a lack of overproducing due to its borderline worthlessness in the big scheme of things. It exists merely to give a bit of spotlight and time to things that somehow usually don't get it, which is why the viewer is all the better off for its existence even when it isn't appointment television. There are obvious downsides to this approach. Sometimes WWEME is Fandang2.0 more or less laying waste to R-Truth while Michael Cole and JBL wonder if he remembers which town he's in. Even better, sometimes it's Titus O'Neil pulling off a clean victory over Jack Swagger, White Savior: Shame Of A Nation to close out the program.

But Main Event is best when it gives long matches to capable people out of nowhere, the pro graps equivalent of finding a tenner in your jeans. So it was slightly unexpected but completely welcome for their new year to start with Paige wrestling Nikki Bella and more importantly given a big chunk of time to develop something going out of your way to watch and be compelled by. Nattie and Brie were at ringside, and outside of a little physicality towards the end of the match to set up some red herring dueling nearfalls were merely there as cornerwomen and support while the once and future Cena paramour and the Anti-Diva (in the latter's case, literally) kicked off the show and the jams. Everybody knows Paige is good, but watching Nikki in this match that she largely controlled must've been a coming-out party to those who still carry the 2011 iterations of her and her twin's in-ring work in their heads as the thin slice when the word Bella comes up in WWE context.

Most compelling was Nikki finding a myriad of ways to work over the arm. She did the subtle old school standards like the kneedrops to it on a grounded opponent, sure, but also did some innovative things to spice up the same old stew with regards to body part work. A Stun Gun, and some innovative between-the-ropes pulls on different heights and different sides of the ring not to mention a well-timed swing into the post added to the drama when she tried to order the Code Red in the middle of the ring with the cross-armbreaker. Again, not exactly a Nikki staple, but after slamming Paige from the apron to the floor to kick off the second segment of the match (that's right, two segs but they got a few on) it was clearly in trouble and thus open to getting beaten up with some good heeling. Yet Paige managed to lock her arms together to negate the hold despite Nikki working and reworking and nearly getting her to break her wristlock on herself for the better part of a minute; once she survived that, she was set to survive anything, especially with Nattie swatting Brie down like a fly once she got pesky and tried to derail the NXT alumna's comeback. Paige got in her brutal superkick (the same thing that'd dropped Brie like so much 3rd period French in the post-match RAW shenanigans), and then drilled her with a Rampaige to put a bow on WWE's best match of 2015*!

Most comforting for those looking to opt in for the Tuesday-Thursday lineup that'll be finalized by the end of the month while holding Mondays at a distance best described as "miles away from my eyes lest they bleed", Cole, JBL and Booker T were free in giving compliments to both women while they focused on the match. There is that Rockian school that says you shouldn't give people credit for doing what they're supposed to do, but if you're going to harangue when things are toxic then you should probably let fly with the props when the going gets good, hehn? Mazel tov especially to Booker for his credit in the direction of Nikki's focused offense, Cole for divvying up the compliments both for that as well as Paige's gutsiness to stay in the fight against such an onslaught, and JBL for staying mostly quiet and sticking to the occasional supportive exclamation off of a comment from one of his colleagues. This sort of magical parallel universe is probably unsustainable on a Tuesday-to-Tuesday basis, so we might as well stack as many plates as we can while the all-the-awesome-you-can-eat buffet's open.

And even ending with a "champion loses the non-title match" trope all too familiar to drinkers of Stamford's Kool-Aid, there was more than enough goodness between the enchanting raven-haired lady and the reigning holder of the Lisa Frank Memorial Championship to fill any wrestling fan's belly. Amazing what all you can get when it's not about gender and more about full stop quality, huh?

* = to date

Goddamn beautiful, isn’t it? I’m not just saying that because my wife is prominently involved either. Take the whole picture in. If you’re a former referee making his in-ring debut, could you think of a better way of doing it than being lead to the ring by two beautiful women tossing rose petals along the entrance way and dressed as what I lovingly call a “Love Pirate?” I don’t think so. And, man, did Thomas Munos nail it. So good.

But we’ll get to that in more detail shortly, first, HI! I’m glad you have taken the time to read my thoughts and opinions on the latest Inspire Pro Wrestling extravaganza, ECSTASY OF GOLD II. It seems a little redundant at this point, but the show was spectacular. Exactly what you’ve come to expect from this sixteen-month old company. Yeah, for as good as Inspire Pro has been, it’s still a relative baby, having debuted July 7, 2013, but it feels like it’s been around for years. That’s a) how good the shows are, and b) how rich of a history it has already built.

Let’s get into it, shall we?

Photo Credit: Michael Dupin

STEVE’O RENO defeated Davey Vega, Thomas Munos, Jojo Bravo, Zac Taylor, DG Taylor, Athena, Delilah Doom, Mr. Azerbaijan, Matt Riot, and Rey Ortiz to become the NEW Inspire Pro J*Crown Champion

Everything is coming up Steve as he was quite literally crowned the new J*Crown Champion (no, honestly, it’s a legit gold crown) that had been sitting dormant since Sammy Guevara was unceremoniously stripped of it following NO TURNING BACK in July. It wasn’t easy, however, as Steve’o Reno entered the gauntlet first. He was joined by Rey Ortiz, Matt Riot, and Mr. Azerbaijan, who was making his Inspire Pro debut.

The rules were thus: Four competitors started the match and following each fall the next participant joined the fray. I don’t recall who was eliminated first (it was either Riot or Ortiz), but the next person to enter the match was Athena. She’s always a fan favorite, and rightfully so, because she’s really quite awesome. It wasn’t long after she entered that either Riot or Ortiz (whichever wasn’t the first elimination) was taken out of the match and Delilah Doom entered. Both Mr. Azerbaijan and Doom were submitted simultaneously and The Orphans (Zac and DG Taylor) joined the match.

The fact that the tag teaming brothers entered together spelled doom for Steve and Athena, but moreso the latter, as she was eliminating by them. A HUGE upset, even if it was two-on-one for the young guys, who have not been in the game long. They are pretty darn good, though. But that elimination lead to the greatest debut for anyone ever.

Enter Thomas Munos. The once-referee had been fired after attacking Sammy Guevara, but once Inspire Pro parted ways with the former J*Crown Champion, Munos was offered his old job back. Instead of donning the blue referee shirt with the humongous NWA patch over the heart, he requested a spot in the Gauntlet. And he did not disappoint.

Two women, dubbed the Tom Tom Club, emerged from the curtain first and tossed rose petals from a basket onto the entrance ramp. Then arrived Munos in all his glory. It was, truly, loved by everyone, ‘cause how could you not? You saw that picture at the top, right? Yeah, it was amazing. And to top it off, the blonde one, yeah, that’s my wife.

A little inside baseball here, but she is training to be a wrestler herself, and because of that connection, we were invited by Justin Bissonnette to arrive at the building hours before the show started so that she could meet everyone and just pick their brains. While we were there, Thomas needed a second lady to accompany him to the ring, and he asked Sam. (He trains at the same school as her, although he rarely goes from what I understand.) I can’t tell you how proud I am of her. Yeah, it was only walking down the ramp and tossing out rose petals, but it’s still cool as shit.

If only I wasn’t an absolute putz with my phone, because I completely botched getting video of it. First the phone was upside down, so I was fumbling with buttons, then I thought I had hit “record” only I hadn’t, and then when I did, my finger was over the damn lense, so all I have is a super blurry three second video. It was so disappointing, but she will live on through the power of DVD (and digital download), as surely SOMEONE got the footage that was filming the show.

And even though it was his in-ring debut, Munos didn’t embarrass himself. Not even in the least. As long as he can continue to throw a spear like he does (move over Roman Reigns, there’s a new guy who needs to look strong), he’ll be just fine. And he threw that beautiful spear as soon as he hit the ring, breaking poor DG Taylor in half, which led to Munos nabbing his first elimination.

Jojo Bravo entered next and at some point Zac Taylor was eliminated, which brought out the final participant, “Bleeding Heart” Davey Vega, who earned the last entry slot by virtue of winning a three-way match over Reno and Bravo at FUN FUN FUN FEST. It was during this time that the fans turned on Munos, because he was a bit of a vulture and stole a pin on Bravo, who had been put down by Vega. But, hey, don’t fault the guy for taking full advantage of what was presented to him. He’s trying to win the J*Crown in his debut, wouldn’t you do the same, even if it was a fan favorite like Jojo Bravo? Exactly, you would, so don’t give him any grief!

He was eliminated by Vega, however, which brought us to the final two. The man who entered first, Steve’O Reno and the final entrant, Davey Vega. The two had a really good back and forth, with both guys almost winning. It’s been joked before that the two guys look similar with Vega being the future version of Steve. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a one-on-one match between these two guys, but I would absolutely love to. Vega’s been my favorite indy guy since I first saw him in ACW, and Steve has been KILLING IT since starting with Inspire Pro, and has been rightfully rewarded for it.

After Steve managed to put away Vega, Biss entered the ring and crowned the new J*Crown Champion (as seen in the pic above). During his celebration, a creepy voice came over the speaker system. It was a little hard to make out what he said, but I did catch the name, “Hollywood Strangler,” and then a masked man in a trench coat hit the ring and started to choke Steve with a piece of rope (or something similar). I suppose we have the next challenger for the J*Crown.

What I will say about the match is that it was very good, it just felt rushed. In all honesty, nearly all the matches felt a little rushed, for whatever reason. If there was one match that needed to slow down a bit, it was this one. Because there were so many people involved, everything was ran through quite quickly, it seemed. It was still a good match and a great showcase for those that will apparently be involved in the junior division going forward.

Photo Credit: Michael Dupin

THOMAS SHIRE pinned Mr. B to retain the Inspire Pro Pure Prestige Championship

Regrettably, I had to take a tinkle break early into this match, and when I got back I didn’t know what the hell was going on. Not that the action in the ring was out of whack or unfollowable, it was the crowd. Shire has been a fan favorite for a good while in Inspire Pro, and his winning the Pure Prestige Championship got a great reaction from the fans at BATTLE WARS. And Mr. B has been a hated man, although he does have his fans. He’s just been presented as someone who thinks the mythical “politics” is holding him back.

On this night, however, everything was flipped and the people were going crazy for B, and less-so Shire. I chalk it up to nearly everyone from AAPW (the wrestling school my wife attends) being at the event and Mr. B being someone who helps out with training. He got a big double thumbs down from me, though, ‘cause the dude busted my wife’s nose at one practice (both were equally at fault, and I really don’t have an issue with it, ‘cause shit happens). So, it was strange, to say the least.

As for the match, it was solid, from what I saw. Again, it felt a bit rushed, and seemed like it could have gone longer. After the match, Shire told B that he had gained his respect. He had earned it at FUN FUN FUN FEST when Mr. B won this opportunity by beating four other guys. Mr. B took that respect and uppercutted Shire’s nuts with it (also, he literally did that) and stole away with the Pure Prestige Title.

This was Shire’s first defense of the Title and it was, again, solid. Obviously, there will be more to the feud, as Mr. B now has the belt. I am curious to see if this does tie into the previous storyline with Greg Symonds, but it’s unknown if he’s gone for good or not. I’m not holding my breath for it, but it would be nice to see everything come together. Not to mention Scot Summers is likely to return to Inspire Pro at some point, I would assume, and given that they created this belt in place of the World Class Championship that Summers was hauling around, it could be interesting.

Photo Credit: Michael Dupin

World Class Syndicate (Carson, Moonshine Mantell, Barrett Brown) defeated The New Movement (Cherry Ramons, James Johnson, Keith Lee) in a Trios Match

That large mass of a man in the middle of the ring is Keith Lee and he hails from the Deepest Crater in the Literal Moon in Space. (No, really.) And he is a beast of a man. He still has a ways to go, but he’s going to be a force to be reckoned with down the line. And he sells really well for a big man, who you would assume wouldn’t want to show any sort of vulnerability. He’s not scared of that, though.

For the World Class Syndicate, they introduced Barrett Brown as their newest member, and Chris Trew had a good point., how are they they “World” Class Syndicate if they’re all from Texas? Regardless of that, it’s a very good trio, with the leader, Carson, probably being the weakest of the bunch, and he’s really quite good. He’s a little stiff, in that he doesn’t seem very flexible, but he has a killer superkick and has the look for someone to make it to the next level. I did find it funny, before they introduced Brown, that Carson said he saw Moonshine Mantell as Pure Prestige material and himself as Inspire Pro Championship material. What’s up with that? It’s not a put down in the least to want the Pure Prestige Title, but why can’t he see Mantell as Inspire Pro Champion? Man, they just got the team back together (and added a new member) and there could already be some strife? I mean, if I were Moonshine, I’d take offense to what Carson said.

For The New Movement, at this point they REALLY gotta move away from “Jiggle-O” James Johnson. Not because he’s bad (he’s really quite good in fact), but because it doesn’t make sense. Why continue to use a guy who was tricked to being on the team to begin with and has time and time again shown that he does not want to be apart of it, nor will he help the team out. In this match, he ratted out his own partner (Lee) for hurting Mantell’s knee when he wasn’t the legal man. I mean, it’s a match, the object is to win it, you’re on a team led by Chris Trew, you think they’re gonna play by the rules? (And how likely are you to be DQ’d for doing something as the illegal man?)

Naturally, it all led to WCS picking up the win because Johnson is a bad teammate. If Trew truly wants to be known as the Manager of the Decade, he needs to cut bait with Johnson and either bring in a new member or go on with the trio of Cherry Ramons, Keith Lee, and Delilah Doom. That’s not a bad group at all, but as it is, the team can’t buy a win, and Johnson isn’t helping matters.

It is kind of interesting to see these teams of people, but there is no tag team division to speak of. When Inspire Pro first started, it seemed like they were building a bit of a division with the Pump Patrol, Dagger Brothers, and an assortment of others, but then it dwindled down to the Hollywood Knives and a collection of one-time teams brought in for Steve to single-handedly beat. Essentially, they were a team designed to split up and that has worked gangbusters, but there’s a lot of talented people in Inspire Pro that may not get quite a fair shake up the card for singles gold, so why not have some Tag Titles?

Of course, they already have three singles Championships and eventually a XX Division Championship (if plans haven’t changed), so would five belts Titles be too much? Inspire Pro has been doing a great job of having storylines that don’t revolve around gold, so if five matches were essentially taken up with those, it would leave… well, it would leave four to five matches for other stuff, so it wouldn’t be too bad. Not to mention, not every belt needs to be defended each month.

I suppose we shall see.

Photo Credit: Michael Dupin

Franco D’Angelo defeated VG Allen and Erik Shadows in a Triple Threat Elimination Match

There wasn’t a whole lot to this match. Franco wanted a match and this is what he got. VG Allen has a really good character, I think. He’s a really small guy (under 5’5” for sure) who wears cheetah print pants, a Members Only jacket (or something near enough to it) and a fanny pack with sunglasses. He may also be a Paul London student, but don’t quote me on that. I just know that he recently started working in ACW, so this was his Inspire Pro debut.

He did not last long. Franco is a big man and he’s angry. So, after Shadows hit a move to put Allen away, the “Bionic Beast” broke up the pinfall (even though it’s elimination rules) and had to hit his own move on Allen, before letting Shadows get the three count. With him out of the way, Shadows and Franco had a bit of back and forth, but Franco was just too much for him.

Shadows is an amazingly talented performer, who can do some crazy moves. There’s a spot for him in Inspire Pro, they just haven’t found it yet. He’s mostly been working with his NWA Revolution mates (they had that incredible 8-Person Tag versus The New Movement at BATTLE WARS that’s one of my favorite matches of 2014, but not my favorite of that show, THAT’S HOW GOOD THAT SHOW WAS), so seeing him get to work outside of that was nice. Hopefully, he can get some traction in the J*Crown division if not the Pure Prestige. Just as long as they have a spot for him, because he’s good.

As for Franco, post-match he let it be known that a) Ryback was a cheap imitation of him (he did not say his name directly, but we all picked up on it) and b) he was there for one reason: GOLD. He was going to get it one way or another, even if that meant he had to go through his best friend, Matthew Palmer, once “Centerfold” won the Inspire Pro Championship from Dalton. There’s a lot of players now vying for Dalton’s belt, so it’ll be interesting how things sort themselves out.

Photo Credit: Michael Dupin

Barbi Hayden retained the NWA World Women’s Championship against Veda Scott

This match was a lot better than Veda Scott’s previous match with Inspire Pro against Athena. That could possibly be chalked up to the knee injury Scott suffered, but whatever it was, the match was a bit sloppy. Here, though, things clicked along quite a bit better. I’m ashamed to admit that I got a little distracted with my dumb phone, as the camera was making everything blurry (if you saw all the pics I took during this match, it looks like they were taken during a dream sequence), but I figured it out and got right into the match.

The last time Hayden defended the NWA World Women’s Championship was against Athena at August’s RELENTLESS, and it ended in controversy. This match would end in a similar vein, although it was not executed nearly as well. What happened in the match against Athena, is that Athena had pinned Barbi but the referee noticed that her foot was on the rope, so the match continued. Once Hayden got the upperhand and made a cover, Athena got HER foot on the bottom rope, but Barbi quickly removed it before the referee could see it. This time was NOTHING like that time.

We had not one, not two, but THREE foot-on-the-ropes incidents, the first occurring when Hayden pinned Scott, but Veda got her foot on the rope. The referee had counted three but noticed the foot and cancelled out his decision. Fair enough. You want to get things right, especially in a high profile Championship match such as these, and when you factor in that this exact scenario happened in a previous match.

The second time, Veda had Barbi pinned, but just like Scott had, Hayden got her foot on the rope and the referee did not make the decision final. So, the two talented women continued to battle, until Hayden was able to spike Scott’s skull into the mat with her Hangman’s DDT (draped from the top rope). As Hayden went to hook the leg, Scott’s foot in the ropes meaning the count should have been stopped. It wasn’t. On top of that, Veda’s OTHER foot was under the bottom rope, and the count should have been stopped. It was not.

The story of the Athena match was that Hayden deliberately pulled Athena’s foot off the rope so that the referee wouldn’t see it. This time was different. Instead of Barbi being a little weasel and cheating to keep her Title at all costs, it was all about referee incompetence. TWICE before in the match he had to restart the match because of a foot being on the ropes. Why on earth would he be so out of position when it happens a third time following a move that was right by the ropes, thus making the pin occur RIGHT THERE? It blows my mind.

The only reason Scott had this match was because she threw her legal knowledge behind it and basically threatened Inspire Pro with litigation that a young company like this could ill-afford. So, if she has continued beef with the company, I would not blame her one bit, but I hope she would re-direct her ire towards a referee who was woefully unprepared for the job at hand. You can’t even say he was in cahoots with Hayden, otherwise he wouldn’t have reversed his decision after the first fall.

All I will say is that Inspire Pro better tread carefully, or Veda Scott will own it. My advice to her, if she manages to put this past her and return for another match: bring your own referee.

INTERMISSION: And now is the time where my wife bought a Kimber Lee shirt (it’s a really good one, too) and I spent my time trying to get up the courage to talk to Chuck Taylor, but my anxieties kicked into overdrive and I could not do it. Which is weird, because I spoke with him the last time he was in Austin and he’s a fellow Kentuckian! I dunno, 1) I have SUCH a hard time talking to people I don’t know, especially “famous” people and I consider almost every wrestler, be they in the WWE or on the indies, to be famous to a certain degree, and 2) I didn’t wanna buy any of his shirts, so I would feel bad to just go up and talk to him, ask for a pic, and then walk away without buying anything. I’d feel like a jerk. I’m a horrible person. Am I the only one that feels that way? It’s one thing to ask for a pic from the regulars, but when someone travels from Philly to work the show, I mean, I feel like a dick.

The shirt I wanted was the Davey Vega shirt, but another of my “things” is I don’t want to buy something from just a person manning the merch table, I want to buy it from that person. But he wasn’t around, so I didn’t. I understand why he probably wasn’t, as I had heard him tell people he was sick, so he most likely didn’t want to interact with everyone and possibly get them sick. That’s reasonable and quite considerate of him. That said, I have a killer shirt design idea for him that I may have my brother work up and just have my own custom Vega shirt. Heck, I’d still give Vega the money, ‘cause the man has expenses and he always entertains the hell out of me.

Photo Credit: Michael Dupin

Sorrow and Extinction (Gregory James and Kyle Hawk) defeated The Orphans (The Great Depression and Sky de Lacrimosa)

Who the fuck are Sorrow and Extinction, you might be saying. Understandable, ‘cause they are not people who have been seen before. Only, nope, they were. See, when The Orphans (DG and Zac Taylor) debuted they were originally led by former Blasphemer turned Jeff Gant and they attacked Gant’s former leader “Unholy” Gregory James at CLASH AT THE BASH in June following James’ match with Masada. Gant would not reappear with Inspire Pro, but at the very next show, DG and Zac randomly attacked Kyle Hawk with chairs after he had been eliminated from the Mystery Prize Six-Man Elimination Match at NO TURNING BACK in July.

Sorrow and Extinction unmasked to be those very guys, Gregory James and Kyle Hawk. It may seem a little strange that they weren’t facing the original Orphans, but instead took on the newest member The Great Depression and Sky de Lacrimosa. I missed a little bit of this after it started by having to urinate again (yep, wasted all that time during intermission not talking to Chuck Taylor), but what I did see was fairly one-sided. I don’t really recall the Orphans ever having the upper hand.

James and Hawk were quite impressive, and brings me back to the need for a tag team division, as they would be an excellent addition to it. One thing I want to say, there was some asshole sitting behind us, and he kept shouting about being bored and that Hawk’s face paint was stupid. I have no idea who he was or what his deal was, but even the normal assholes that shout stupid ass shit (that could be a whole column by itself, those guys) were basically shutting him down and calling him on his shit, ‘cause he wasn’t shouting his insults really loud enough for anyone to hear besides those nearby, and his reasoning was that the match was putting him to sleep. I mean, dude, yeah, you don’t have to love everything or even enjoy it, ‘cause wrestling is nothing if not a medium that has something for everybody, but if you’re just shitting on stuff just for the sake of shitting on something, kindly shut the fuck up and get on your phone or something.

I want to go back to Jeff Gant for a second though. Like I said, he essentially started the Orphans (even though they were without a name at that point, I think), and immediately disappeared. Did he get adopted by a real family? Is he going to come back, only to get attacked by the Orphans for leaving them? And if that happens, will Gregory James come to his aid, bringing things all the way back around to where they are teaming together? You know, I really would like to see Jeff return, only looking like he was suddenly being raised by a middle class family in the suburbs.

Photo Credit:  Michael Dupin

Ricky Starks defeated Chuck Taylor

It’s a shame this match didn’t come right after intermission, as all the merch talk would have been the perfect segue. See, Starks was selling his new shirts “Be A Starks” at ringside during intermission, then when he came out for his match, he wanted to tell us about a letter he got from up north. From WWE.

It was at this point that EVERYONE in the building stood up and began to clap and cheer for Ricky. I’ve said before that when I first saw him in ACW, I instantly thought he could be someone who got the call to head to Stamford (or Florida, as the case would be now). He’s supremely talented, and if you were ever in doubt about his charisma, this promo would prove he could make it to the next level.

You see, Starks wasn’t being signed by the WWE. No, he had received a cease-and-desist letter because his shirts were basically aping the “Be A Star,” obviously. Ricky’s entire point was him just trying to hock some merch. It was brilliant. Absolutely genius. We couldn’t even be mad, that’s how good it was! It reminded me of Mark Henry faking his retirement and then flattening John Cena. So good.

It also helped that his opponent was Chuck Taylor. Who’s easier to hate than The Kentucky Gentleman? Personally, I love him. He’s fantastic, and these two guys together were great, as Taylor instantly got under Starks’ skin by insulting his mother. That’s just something you don’t do, man! So, immediately the match was off and running.

Photo Credit: Michael Dupin

If you’ve never seen a Chuck Taylor match before, um, what are you waiting for? Go watch some! But he has some great spots, has perfect facial expressions, and vocals (there’s nothing better than him screeching after a hard hit, or even when he’s charging ahead to attack), and I fail to see how someone who has been doing this for 14 years hasn’t gotten a call from at least TNA. Of course, maybe he has and he turned it down. For some people, working indies is a lot more lucrative than a contract from TNA -- well, we already know they pay shit anyway -- or WWE. Really, it seems like for a lot of people, joining WWE would be less about the money and more about achieving a dream.

Either way, Taylor is awesome and I wish I had talked to him and now I’m hating myself. What I didn’t hate, was this match, which was, to me, the match of the night. It, too, felt a little rushed like most everything else, but a little less so than the others. These guys worked really well together, and it was a nice springboard into hopefully getting Starks back into a prominent position with Inspire Pro.

Photo Credit: Michael Dupin

That’s… not… sanitary at all.

Poor Chuck was so despondent after the match, he took a seat in the front row and put someone stir straw in their mouth.

Photo Credit: Michael Dupin

Jessica James defeated Kimber Lee

Before the show started, my wife was off getting ready for her deal, so I just took my seat and chilled on my phone because I don’t know how to socialize when there’s so many people I don’t know. But, as I sat there, completely out of nowhere, Kimber Lee walked up, shook my hand, and introduced herself. That was quite cool and took me by surprise. I didn’t chat with her at all, not even when Sam bought her shirt, but she seems like a cool person.

She’s also good inside the ropes. This was a good matchup, as Jessica James has really been on point in Inspire Pro, and she has nowhere but to go up in the business (she also introduced herself before the show!). She even came out with a new look which was really quite badass.

I really wish there was more to say about this match, but there’s really not. It was good, these women are tremendous, and I want to see more of them here in Austin. James is always here unless she’s off in Japan, but hopefully Kimber returns. They need to get a good batch of regulars if they do end up creating the XX Championship (of which James would be in the Finals against Athena), you know, for my wife to beat once she’s ready to compete in the ring. But Lee would be a nice, welcome addition to have on a regular basis.

Photo Credit: Michael Dupin

Matthew Palmer won by Disqualification but Andy Dalton retained the Inspire Pro Championship

OK. This match. This has been building since September’s RELENTLESS when Andy Dalton coaxed Matthew Palmer into defending the Inspire Pro Championship immediately after he’d just won it from Mike Dell. Palmer did and he lost. That was dumb. He was dumb. Why would he do that? Silly Palmer. Then, at BATTLE WARS, Palmer demanded his rematch at this show or he would stab Dalton in the chest with a butcher’s knife. The match was granted, ‘cause if Inspire Pro thought the legal battles with Veda Scott were going to be bad, how do you imagine attempted murder would go over?

To ensure that he would get a fair shake, Palmer kidnapped JT Lamotta and housed him at “Jiggle-O” James Johnson’s house (I’m assuming, that’s where he lured JT and then had dinner). Of course, for this match, Dalton did not come alone, as Davey Vega accompanied him. With Palmer was Franco D’Angelo, and very quickly the two managers, as it were, ended up chasing each other to the back, leaving Palmer and Dalton all alone.

Things started off MOLTEN with big “DIE DALTON DIE!” chants (Palmer had shirts printed up saying that phrase and seemed like he sold quite a few) and the first move of the match was essentially Palmer diving over the top rope to the floor onto Dalton. Things were intense, as they should have been. It was the rematch everyone had been waiting four months for. It felt like we were in for a long, brutal fight, or if it was going to be short, it was still going to be insane.

Then Dalton kicked the referee in the stomach and he called for the bell. Disqualification. Victory for Palmer, but no Championship. That the “Dirty Mind of Wrestling” got to keep. He said he had an insurance policy, so I’m not sure if that was it or not. If it wasn’t, and instead it was Tim Storm, who was there as a guest, who hit the ring (after Vega and Franco had returned) to give the bad guys the upperhand.

Before I get into what happened next, can I bring up the lame ending? I understand wanting to continue the feud. It would make sense that eventually Palmer would get the Title back, but he obviously wasn’t going to in the very next match the two have (which doubled as Dalton’s first defense). So, I get why the match had to happen and why it didn’t need the cleanest of endings. But that one? A DQ by kicking the referee? I dunno, it’s kind of a cheap ending. Now, the post-match stuff was great and sets up a lot of things, but it doesn’t make up for the way the match ended.

Ultimately I’m not mad about it, it’s not going to keep me from continuing to go to the shows or getting invested (oh, I still wanted to see Dalton die a horrible death at Palmer’s hands), it just feels out of character for Inspire Pro, if that makes sense. And, I mean, I just don’t get the rule. I mean, I understand why attacking the referee would be a disqualification, but at the same time? Uh, no, it’s dumb. Whenever someone attacks the referee, nine times out of ten it’s because that person knows they can’t win and just wants to walk away with their Title. But if that’s the plan might as well kick him as soon as the match starts. Why risk the possibility that Palmer hits his finisher right away (which is what he almost did until Dalton rolled to the outside and got dove onto)?

I don’t get it from the referee’s point of view either. Knowing the reason for the kick (assuming the referee is not on the take), why would you reward that offender with keeping his Title? If you really want to punish him, you don’t end the match because the actual win or loss result means nothing at that point to the Champion, he just wants to ensure he gets to leave with his belt. All it does is punish the challenger (and the fans), because it’s over, he doesn’t get his chance for revenge and all because the poor ref couldn’t shake off a boot to the gut.

Look, I’ve seen Dynamite Kid punch referees in Japan repeatedly and they no sell the shit out of it. I’m not saying you gotta go that far, ‘cause you don’t want to make your talent look bad, but if it’s just a relatively light kick (he fell into the corner, but was otherwise just fine, fine enough to call for the bell at any rate), shrug that shit off, tell the person who kicked you to go fuck themselves and let the match continue. If he still ends up winning (even if it’s through some shenanigans), you can at least look yourself in the mirror knowing you didn’t let him get away with a cheap victory (in so far as what you could control).

What I’m saying is, the DQ ending was dumb, but I’m also glad Dalton is still the Champ, ‘cause when he finally gets murdered live in the middle of the ring it’s going to be glorious. Hell, that could happen very soon at the hands of...

Photo Credit: Michael Dupin

RAY MOTHERFUCKING “DEATH” ROWE! He’s baaaaaaaaack! And he’s looks better than ever. He arrived with this big arm brace on his arm, from when he had his motorcycle accident, but removed it and beat the shit out of Dalton. If you recall, he was the Number One Contender until he had his accident, and Palmer was given his Title shot instead, and while he made the most of it, he screwed the pooch immediately. So, now he’s back to, I assume, reclaim his rightful shot at the gold, just against a different Champion.

Once Dalton, Vega, and Storm had been dispatched, Rowe and Franco D’Angelo had a stare down. You could feel the tension. Remember, earlier in the night, Franco said he was not afraid to go through anyone to get what he wanted. It’s one thing when it’s his best friend who could potentially stand in his way, but when this other guy comes in and he knows that guy gets to jump him in line? Yeah, that’s not going to sit well.

Thankfully, things ended peacefully, with a handshake. That doesn’t mean shit won’t go down later, but for the time being, things are cool. And it sets up a lot of interesting stories. Is Palmer going to momentarily forget Dalton and go after Tim Storm, who is the NWA North American Champion? Will Rowe get his Title shot in February? How does Franco get back into the race? The blood feud, though, is Palmer/Dalton, as Rowe’s “beef” was with Dell, but he’s out of the picture. Still, things are interesting to say the least.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

Not much to add that I didn’t say throughout. I thoroughly enjoyed myself, as I always do. It was really cool to get to see things from a different perspective (big thanks to Biss for allowing us to be there) and there were a lot of things set in motion. There’s all new Champions (everyone was either crowned or making their first defenses), so things are still building up. The hottest thing is the Inspire Pro Title scene, which is nice to say after it being the least interesting thing happening when Mike Dell was Champion (and he only got interesting when he was losing the belt), with so many people vying for the gold (and that’s not mentioning someone like Ricky Starks who’s just kinda hanging out in limbo waiting, and Carson essentially putting his hat into the ring with his promo).

Steve’O Reno isn’t as naturally athletic and explosive as Sammy Guevara was, but he has an unparalleled attitude and he works HARD. He has gotten so much better just in the year couple of years I’ve seen him wrestle, and he just keeps getting better and better, so I’m interested to see what he will do in the junior division.

They keep bringing in talented women and they keep knocking it out of the park once they get into the ring. They really only have four regulars (Hayden, Athena, James, Doom), but it’s a good core to work with, and with all the freelancers that come in, it’s never dull. I’m intrigued to see what they do if/when they crown their first XX Champion and how that will work with the NWA Women’s Title being a key storyline tool on the shows.

Will that referee get fired, ‘cause he fucked up the Hayden/Scott match AND let a little kick to the gut ruin the main event. He was the second biggest heel of the night after Dalton and it wasn’t even close.

Good news! Brandon Stroud managed to survive another night. Sure, that was because Lance Hoyt was still in Japan, but still. Survival is survival.

Most importantly, we have some details for the next show:


It is titled, UNDENIABLE, and judging from the image will see the in-ring return of Ray “Death” Rowe. That has not been announced, so it’s not official, but we all saw him return at ECSTASY OF GOLD II and put Andy Dalton in his place, so at the very least, he will be there.

There was an official announcement made at the show, though, and that was the Inspire Pro debut of “The Mountain” Vanessa Kraven will happen on February 15th at the Marchesa Hall and Theater. Also announced was the return of Leva Bates! Fresh off her star-making turn as Blue Pants in NXT, she’ll be gracing the Inspire Pro ring once again. So, if you want to see this show, you might want to get your tickets now before they are gone. They are already on sale here. Seriously, get them while you can, because people had to be turned away this last show. So many people they had to pull in actual chairs, and not the folding kind. It was crazy.

And if you want to check out some of their past shows, new ones have been added (most recent is August’s RELENTLESS headlined by Matthew Palmer and Mike Dell for the Inspire Pro Championship) to SmartMark Video, so do yourself a favor and download them (or order the DVDs if you’re into physical media). Trust me, it’ll be the best $12-15 you’ll spend.

Inspire Pro is only going to get better, folks. Best jump on board now. You don’t want to wait three years from now when this is the must-see indy promotion along the lines of Chikara or Ring of Honor. If you do, you can be that hipster fan later than said you liked Inspire Pro before they were playing 20,000 seat arenas.

It's Twitter Request Line time, everyone! I take to Twitter to get questions about issues in wrestling, past and present, and answer them on here because 140 characters can't restrain me, fool! If you don't know already, follow me @tholzerman, and wait for the call on Wednesday to ask your questions. Hash-tag your questions #TweetBag, and look for the bag to drop Thursday afternoon (most of the time). Without further ado, here are your questions and my answers!

@tholzerman#TweetBag Thoughts on the Lucha belt design/look? Do you care?
— Chris Vannini (@ChrisVannini) January 8, 2015

I dig it, to be honest. I haven't seen an episode of Lucha Underground yet, but only because Comcast in Philly doesn't carry El Rey, and I haven't had the time or wherewithal to watch a Spanish-language episode yet. But given what I know about the aesthetic of the promotion, I really like that design for the title belt. The arena where they wrestle is called "The Temple," so it should follow that the highest prize should look like an ancient Aztec artifact, right? That Championship looks like it was pulled from the tomb of Moctezuma II. Sometimes, it's just all about setting.

@tholzerman Who should be in the final four of this year's Royal Rumble? #TweetBag
— Star of Savage (@StarOfSavage) January 8, 2015

1. Roman Reigns - The worst kept secret in the world right now is that WWE wants so badly for Reigns to be popular and over enough to challenge and vanquish Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania. Even if he doesn't win, the threat of him winning has to be there to fuck with the crowd.

2. Daniel Bryan - If he comes back just to fall short of even making the Final Four, then WWE has fucked his return up royally from the start.

3. Rusev - He's too hot not to tease going to 'Mania to win the whole thing. He can't win, because then WWE is in a no-win situation with him for the immediate future, but he can come close.

4. Kofi Kingston - One of these days, WWE has to at least tease that Kingston's Rumble acrobatics could ostensibly pay off. He's in a new gimmick that needs some juice. A strong Rumble showing with a couple of highlight near-misses and an elimination at the hands of Rusev at the very end would go a long way into cultivating his rebirth.

As for who among that group should win, only one acceptable winner is in there, and it ain't Reigns. I'll leave you to guess which of those guys is more than a B+ player...

Who will be a surprise entrant at the Royal Rumble. #TweetBag
— Valexander Venis (@Moose_Bigelow) January 8, 2015

Not a chance. Sure, his daughter might be the one of the big players on Total Divas, but if he comes back, it won't be under a hood. Not a chance.

@tholzerman#tweetbag Bakabella issued an open challenge for any five men to face his wrecking crew on 1/25. Who'd be your pick and why?
— Jeff S (@DexDynamo) January 8, 2015

The first four picks are pretty boring in terms of the Chikaraverse. Dasher Hatfield and Mark Angelosetti have bones to pick with the Devastation Corporation for how the end of the Campeonatos de Parejas match at Tomorrow Never Dies turned out, and Ophidian and Amasis owe Bakabella and the other two members of his Wrecking Crew a receipt from the Tag Gauntlet at King of Trios. As for the fifth member of that team? Well, the DevCorp has three members, and the Throwbacks' main beef is with that particular subset of the group. So why not let that duo become a trio and welcome Sugar Dunkerton back to the fold? His Chikara comeback has been a long time coming, and The Arena would become UNGLUED when he came out to help his old buddy Hatfield out.

@tholzerman Not to spoil your TWB100 ballot but my question is Who were your favourite Women in wrestling this year?
— Reject All American (@willow_catelyn) January 8, 2015

Sasha Banks was my favorite woman worker in all of wrestling and of course NXT in 2014. She was the glue of that troupe of wrestlers, having great matches with everyone even though she was more the bridesmaid and not the bride so to speak. Her series with Bayley made any random, non-Takeover episode of NXT worth watching on any given day. On the main roster, while she probably wasn't the "best" wrestler, Nikki Bella is worth a mention for how much she improved in the calendar year and how much of a rock she's become in that division. On the indies, I need to watch more matches between now and ballot time, but Kimber Lee is not only one of the best women working on the circuit, she's one of the best workers, period. If you're sleeping on her, then you need to wake the fuck up and recognize.

@tholzerman#TweetBag Over-under on number of years Jim Harbaugh lasts at Michigan before he flames out and/or goes to NFL?
— The real dajerseyboy (@dajerseyboy) January 8, 2015

Harbaugh has had success at the collegiate level before, and he doesn't seem like the kind of guy who can work too hard. Being a college coach seems like a job that's a lot harder than the NFL because of how much work it is to bring in players and then mold them into a unit to play maybe a  handful of big games a year that you can't possibly hope to lose if you want a shot at anything more than the Bitcoin Bowl. In the NFL, players come to you, and you have a GM and a cap guy to figure out the logistics. In college, you have to recruit, which takes up any time during the year that might be construed as offseason. Then you need to have your players playing at the highest levels all the time, because not only can a loss submarine your season, but struggling to beat a shitty team could drop you in the rankings too. Harbaugh has been through the process before in a top conference, so he's not stepping into terra unfamiliaris over here.

However, at Stanford, he didn't have the crushing weight of expectation bearing down on his shoulders. He took over a traditionally weak program when it was down and resurrected it. Michigan boosters and administration demand excellence. (Boosters are another thing that probably makes college more difficult than the pros.) Harbaugh is going to have to make Michigan into a perennial contender sooner rather than later or else he'll have everyone at his throat. However, everywhere he's gone as a coach, he's excelled. I predict that within two years, the Big 10 East, with Harbaugh's Michigan, Urban Meyer's Ohio State, Mark Dantonio's Michigan State, and James Franklin's Penn State, will be as highly regarded as the SEC West was in the last few years.

From @KMB2476, who's gone private to protect himself and his Mr. Met looking family:

1/2 In regard to the alleged "Vince hates that NXT is considered better than WWE and is sabotaging the wrestler" story, How inclined are we to believe stories like that because it fits a narrative we want to hear? Does that impact discussion?

These stories are absolutely written to fit a narrative that readers want to believe because that's what drives up page hit counters. While I question the veracity of these "sources" sometimes, these dirtsheet writers and cut-and-paste aggregators aren't stupid in regards to knowing what kind of honey attracts the most flies. Of course, whether or  not that leads to honest discussion is another thing, because again, who knows if these "sources" are feeding the writers honest information. But that can of worms has been opened a billion times to no real resolution.

@tholzerman#tweetbag favorite pro-wrestling stable ever is?
— Okori Wadsworth (@OkoriWadsworth) January 8, 2015

Vince McMahon. Triple H. Steve Austin. The Two-Man Power Trip (with backing from THE BOSS) was the most smartly assembled angle with the hottest beginning that was going to blow the doors off WWE post-Attitude Era until Trips tore his quad and gave way to the rousing pile of shit known as the Invasion. The stable was never really fully actualized because of the injury, but what was presented at first was phenomenal stuff. Of the stables that did have a full run, I would go with the Bruderschaft des Kreuzes, which had a bunch of my favorite wrestlers in it and who had an impressive first year until the wheels were taken off, leaving it to sputter towards its finish.

@tholzerman ok, name your numbers 1 and 30 in the Rumble for some reason #tweetbag
— David Jackson (@RTVWOW) January 8, 2015

Wrestler #1 should be Daniel Bryan. I was talking on Twitter today with @gvntofly1021 and @brianbrown25 and the latter made an excellent point, that if Bryan comes out too late, the match will have the same effect as the main event of WrestleMania XXVII, when no one gave a holy shit about Miz or John Cena and just waited for The Rock to come out. Bryan should be the first out and the last one standing. Let him break Rey Mysterio's iron man record. Just get his entrance out of the way first so every other thing that the WWE has planned for the match can get its own time in the sun.

The #30 spot should go to some Authority stooge as a ringer spot. If Seth Rollins doesn't walk out of the arena as WWE Champion, I would go with him. If he does, then I would go with Corporate Kane. It would establish continuity and give a guy who has no business winning a reason for people to be outraged over a plum position.

@tholzerman What are your personal five-star matches of the last 5 years?
— Frank Puddle (@francisadujr) January 8, 2015

I don't believe in star ratings, but if I did, then the following list would be my five-stars from January 9, 2010 to January 8, 2015, chronologically:

• Akira Tozawa and Kevin Steen vs. the Young Bucks, PWG DDT4 2011, 3/4/11
• El Generico vs. the 1-2-3 Kid, Chikara King of Trios '11, 4/17/11
• John Cena vs. CM Punk, WWE Money in the Bank, 7/17/11
• Claudio Castagnoli vs. Sara del Rey, Chikarasaurus Rex Night 2, 7/31/11
• John Cena vs. CM Punk, WWE SummerSlam, 8/14
• Mike Quackenbush vs. Eddie Kingston, Chikara High Noon, 11/13/11
• Ayumi Kurihara and Ayako Hamada vs. Kalamity and Hailey Hatred, SHIMMER vol. 46, 3/17/12
• ACH vs. AR Fox, AIW Straight Outta' Compton, 4/6/12 (Iron Man Match)
• Sheamus vs. Daniel Bryan, WWE Extreme Rules, 4/29/12 (2/3 Falls)
• Rachel Summerlyn vs. Jazz, ACW Queen of Queens, 6/24/12
• Daniel Bryan, Kane, and Ryback vs. The Shield, WWE TLC, 12/16/12
• John Cena vs. CM Punk, WWE Monday Night RAW, 2/25/13
• William Regal vs. Kassius Ohno, WWE NXT, 4/10/13 (airdate)
• Daniel Bryan, Kane, and the Undertaker vs. The Shield, WWE Monday Night RAW, 4/22/13
• Sami Callihan vs. Jessicka Havok, WSU Queen and King of the Ring, 5/11/13
• Ophidian vs. Amasis, Chikara Aniversario: Never Compromise, 6/1/13 (Sarcophagus Match)
• Daniel Bryan vs. Randy Orton, WWE Monday Night RAW, 6/24/13 (Hardcore Match)
• Antonio Cesaro vs. Daniel Bryan, WWE Monday Night RAW, 7/22/13
• John Cena vs. Daniel Bryan, WWE SummerSlam, 8/18/13
• Antonio Cesaro vs. Sami Zayn, WWE NXT, 8/21/13 (airdate, 2/3 Falls)
• The Rhodes Bros. vs. The Shield, WWE Battleground, 10/6/13
• Antonio Cesaro vs. William Regal, WWE NXT, 12/25/13 (airdate)
• The Shield vs. The Wyatt Family, WWE Elimination Chamber, 2/23/14
• Cesaro vs. Sami Zayn, WWE NXT ArRIVAL, 2/27/14
• Daniel Bryan vs. Triple H, WWE WrestleMania XXX, 4/6/14
• Charlotte vs. Natalya, WWE NXT Takeover, 5/29/14
• Adrian Neville vs. Tyson Kidd vs. Sami Zayn vs. Tyler Breeze, WWE NXT Takeover: Fatal Four Way, 9/11/14
• Adrian Neville vs. Sami Zayn: WWE NXT Takeover: REvolution, 12/11/14
• Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Kota Ibushi, NJPW WrestleKingdom 9, 1/4/15

That number might seem daunting at first, but note that I've seen maybe between 1,500-2,000 matches on the conservative side during that time, and then that handful up there represents a fraction of a percentage point.

@tholzerman who's the next Chikara Grand Champ?
— JEJ Parsons (@jejparsons) January 8, 2015

Soldier Ant. He may already have three points if cibernetico eliminations count, but if not, he'll get there. I don't think Eddie Kingston winning "her" back has enough cache, especially since he and Kevin Condron can explore a lot of studio space over the next year with their feud. Icarus doesn't necessarily need to drop it to someone in order to get it back either. The money match for the finale will either be Green Ant or Fire Ant taking the Grand Championship from someone, and that someone should probably be Soldier Ant.

@tholzerman How would you compare going from watching Wrestle Kingdom 9 to Raw in 24 hours?
— Brian Coulter (@PhilaBCoulter) January 8, 2015

I don't think it's a fair comparison, since WK9 was New Japan's biggest event of the year and factoring in commercials and such, it had nearly double the televised content that RAW did. Additionally, WK9 was almost ALL wrestling. Still, I considered not watching RAW so as not to kill my wrestling buzz from the night before. WK9 was such a surreal experience since I had not watched a full NJPW show until that point, but going to RAW had me asking whether each show could be considered working in the same area. It wasn't so much that I thought RAW was bad, per se. It wasn't the best episode, but it was also presented so much differently. I don't know how exactly to put it, but even if one were to like both shows on equal planes, it would be hard to call them similar, if you're picking up what I'm putting down.

Quiet Storm is Cabana's guest Photo via ProFightDB

If you're new, here's the rundown: I listen to a handful of wrestling podcasts each week. Too many, probably, though certainly not all of them. In the interest of saving you time — in case you have the restraint to skip certain episodes — the plan is to give the bare bones of a given show and let you decide if it’s worth investing the time to hear the whole thing. There are better wrestling podcasts out there, of course, but these are the ones in my regular rotation that I feel best fit the category of hit or miss. If I can save other folks some time, I'm happy to do so.

Show: Art Of Wrestling
Episode: 232 (Jan. 8, 2015)
Run Time: 1:01:41
Guest: Quiet Storm (9:40)

Summary: This week, Colt Cabana sits down with a man who says he’s barely done any interviews over the course of his international career. Quiet Storm opens up about the Super 8 tournament, staying on the independent scene over the years, his heritage and childhood in Manhattan, training in Brooklyn, meeting Taka Michinoku and eventually ECW stars, his role as “Summer Santa,” acclimating to Japan and eventually becoming a full-time wrestler in that country for various promotions. At the end of the chat Storm mentions he invented the Canadian Destroyer.

Quote of the week:“I used to go every month to Madison Square Garden. Every month. Every time there was a show there, I would go. I would go with my mom. My grandma would never go. She loved it! To this day, like every time … she calls here and she would say, ‘I saw WWE the other day, and it wasn’t very good. … You’re better off in Japan.’ ”

Why you should listen: If he’s to be believed about his lack of media work, even devoted Quiet Storm fans have plenty to learn about his background and upbringing. Even those unfamiliar with his work should be compelled by the story of his youth, the way he and his mother followed wrestling together and how he got into the business. His story of gradually growing more familiar with Japan is interesting as well. He and Cabana have an easy chemistry, which makes this episode a breeze of a listen.

Why you should skip it: Storm isn’t exactly the most charismatic talker, and though his story is interesting there’s no specific high point of this episode, nor is there any significant drama in Storm’s life. There’s barely any talk of mainstream American promotions or wrestlers. There’s a few points where Cabana’s interviewing style is a little awkward (shifting the focus to himself or trying to make a joke his guest doesn’t get), but that could be chalked up to what ultimately is a cultural difference between host and guest.

Final thoughts: Your interest in this episode is directly proportional to the degree to which you care about under-the-radar performers. I’ll admit I’d never heard of Quiet Storm until iTunes began downloading this podcast, but I find chats like this as compelling as Cabana’s sit-downs with guys like Gangrel or Lance Storm, albeit for entirely different reasons. Folks with zero interest in Quiet Storm’s career can skip this without feeling they’ve missed anything, but I’d advise checking it out anyway to hear about the evolution of being a mixed-race New Yorker who came into wrestling fandom watching Papa Shango and the Ultimate Warrior and somehow ended up being a stalwart of the Japanese scene 20 years later. It’s by no means the best episode of this show, but it’s a solid hour worth the time of anyone with an open mind.

Welcome to the 2014 Bloggie Awards, presented to the best in the wrestling industry for the last calendar year. Announced within are the winners of these awards, but before we begin, here's what the Bloggies are and aren't:

• The Bloggies are NOT a measure of who drew money or drove business. Look to the Observer for that scope.
• The Bloggies are NOT a measure of kayfabe accomplishment. Pro Wrestling Illustrated has that covered like a boss.
• The Bloggies are NOT crowd-sourced or openly voted upon. They're chosen by me and me alone, so if anyone has a problem, take it up with me.
• The Bloggies ARE a measure of who did the most to advance the ART of wrestling. Who told the best stories? Who talked with the silverest of tongues? Who wrestled the best matches? Who had the biggest emotional impact? These are the questions that these awards have set out to answer.

Now, without further ado...

Wrestler of the Year

And the nominees are:

• Bayley
• Dean Ambrose
• Eddie Kingston
• Rusev
• Sami Zayn

And the winner is...SAMI ZAYN!

Photo Credit: WWE.com

It's easy for a given promotion to base an entire year around a wrestler. However, that formula is not always a recipe for success. The wrestler has to be up for the challenge, both in the ring and in advancing the narrative in other ways. NXT, WWE's autonomous and strangely different in most every conceivable artistic way developmental territory, took a chance and focused its entire year on Sami Zayn. In return, he drove the results to critical heights that the post-corporate parent company could only really ever dream of. The story was all about his ability to win "the big one," and he in turn took it and hammered it home. He brought passion, pathos, vulnerability, and above all else, tremendous wrestling to the role, and because of it, NXT was the most must-watch weekly television show in wrestling. Zayn is wrestling's most valuable player. He is the Wrestler of the Year.

Ricky Steamboat Award

And the nominees are:

• Dean Ambrose
• Kimber Lee
• Sami Zayn
• Sasha Banks
• Sheamus

And the winner is...SAMI ZAYN!

Photo Credit: WWE.com

Like I wrote in the previous award entry, Zayn brought fantastic, tremendous wrestling to the NXT ring on a near-weekly basis. From his best two-out-of-three falls match with Leo Kruger to start the year through his Match of the Decade candidate against Adrian Neville at the end, Zayn brought it hard and fast every time he went to the mat. His week-to-week efforts were solid, but the marquee matches, vs. Cesaro at ArRIVAL, vs. Tyler Breeze at the first Takeover, the Fatal Four Way, and then both Neville matches towards the end, were among the best work anyone has put in all year.

Talker of the Year

And the nominees are:

• Bray Wyatt
• Enzo Amore
• Lana
• Sami Zayn
• Stephanie McMahon

And the winner is...STEPHANIE MCMAHON!

Photo Credit: WWE.com

In theory, I'm not a fan of the 20 minute RAW-opening in-ring gabfests, and usually in practice in 2014, they were weights on the show that dragged it down. However, whenever Stephanie McMahon got on the mic, they didn't seem so bad. Her command of passive-aggression, like a nagging mom using her powers for one-percent hegemony instead of wanting you to find a girlfriend or eat your vegetables, somehow fit perfectly into the aggro, hyper-masculine world of WWE wrestling. She was also a master of the artful troll, which is an underrated metric when talking about heel mic work. McMahon, like her father, has found a groove where she can exist as an evil authority figure if such a thing has to be on the show.

Independent Wrestler of the Year

And the nominees are:

• Biff Busick
• Candice LeRae
• Eddie Kingston
• Nicole Matthews
• Ricochet

And the winner is...CANDICE LERAE!

Photo Credit: Scott Finkelstein

For the first part of 2014, her impact was mostly confined to Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, and she was arguably the most important player there up until the Battle of Los Angeles. PWG's tag team scene is hotter than a lot of companies' main title narrative, and with LeRae, alongside Joey Ryan, lit that scene on fire. One could argue that Ryan's inclusion was complementary at best, that the story was really about LeRae. I'd be inclined to agree. Then, she started branching out and making the rounds at a lot of the go-to promotions in the US. She was a highlight addition to Absolute Intense Wrestling, Beyond Wrestling, Women's Superstars Uncensored, and Dreamwave Wrestling. Wherever LeRae went, fun and importance were bound to follow.

Tag Team of the Year

And the nominees are:

• Goldust and Stardust/Cody Rhodes
• reDRagon (Bobby Fish and Kyle O'Reilly)
• The Usos (Jimmy and Jey)
• The World's Cutest Tag Team (Candice LeRae and Joey Ryan)
• The Young Bucks (Matt and Nick Jackson)

And the winner is...THE WORLD'S CUTEST TAG TEAM!

Photo Credit: Devin Chen

It's easy to poo-poo Ryan's involvement in the team; hell, I've probably done more to fuel that narrative in the nomination writings and what I wrote for LeRae above. But even if Ryan was a supporting player, he played a great role to LeRae's lead narrative no matter where the team went. In a stiffly contested category, the World's Cutest Tag Team always brought a little extra oomph no matter where they went.

Manager of the Year

And the nominees are:

• Chris Trew
• JT LaMotta
• Lana
• Sidney Bakabella
• Veda Scott

And the winner is...SIDNEY BAKABELLA!

Photo Credit: Scott Finkelstein

No manager was more important to his or her stable's success than Bakabella was for The Wrecking Crew. His old school voice lent an important identity to his throwback bruisers. His interference always had charm and panache; hitting Amasis with a roll of quarters in the tag gauntlet at King of Trios was such a choice move. He also was not afraid to take a punch for his team. Anyone in wrestling who allows a  hairpiece to get pulled off in the name of narrative gets points from me. Bakabella earned this award.

Group of the Year

And the nominees are:

• The Carter Administration (Dixie Carter, Ethan Carter III, Rhyno, Rockstar Spud)
• The New Movment (Cherry Ramones, Chris Trew, Delilah Doom, Keith Lee)
• The Shield (Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins)
• Sidney Bakabella's Wrecking Crew (Blaster McMassive, Flex Rumblecrunch, Jaka, Max Smashmaster, Oleg the Usurper, Sidney Bakabella)
• The Wyatt Family (Bray Wyatt, Erick Rowan, Luke Harper)

And the winner is...SIDNEY BAKABELLA'S WRECKING CREW!

Photo Credit: Scott Finkelstein

Of course, Bakabella's charges all did their thing around Chikara, and arguably, they were the star players within The Flood. The Devastation Corporation was perhaps the best working trio in wrestling all  year long, thanks especially to Max Smashmaster developing into an elite HOSS. The other two members made huge strides, and both Oleg and Jaka worked hard in their roles as well.

HOSS of the Year

And the nominees are:

• Keith Lee
• Luke Harper
• Max Smashmaster
• Rusev
• Sheamus

And the winner is...RUSEV!

Photo Credit: WWE.com

Rusev crush! Rusev hit! For Putin!

New To Me Award

And the nominees are:

• Charlotte
• Danny Cannon
• Deucalion
• Paige Turner
• "Smooth Sailing" Ashley Remington

And the winner is..."SMOOTH SAILING" ASHLEY REMINGTON!

Photo Credit: Scott Finkelstein

Dalton Castle may have been around for years, but I find a fundamental difference between Castle, the upstate New York stalwart, and Remington, the yachtsman who has taken Chikara BY STORM. So much of the year was consumed by the Flood story, but Remington helped provide something fun, something light, something for the crowd that didn't just want to see wrestlers "dying" or the company's life being held in the balance. Remington took a character concept, immersed himself into it, and has become one of the most fulfilled and enriched members of the roster.

Comedian of the Year

And the nominees are:

• Damien Sandow
• Hornswoggle
• Los Ice Creams
• Prakash Sabar
• The Submission Squad

And the winner is...DAMIEN SANDOW!

Photo Credit: WWE.com

I almost nominated Sandow for Wrestler of the Year because he has taken a gimmick that has done no one any favors over the years, the serial cosplayer/imitator, and taken it to extreme heights, especially after he adopted the role as Miz's stunt double. The Miz character upon his return was great, but adding Mizdow as a second was a phenomenal touch, made golden by how into it Sandow immersed himself. I don't know if "funny can draw money," but I do know that Sandow's brand of comedy has been one of the few bright spots on any given RAW in 2014.

Feud of the Year

And the nominees are:

• Bayley vs. Sasha Banks
• Chikara vs. The Flood
• Dean Ambrose vs. Seth Rollins
• Evolution vs. The Shield
• The World's Cutest Tag Team vs. The Young Bucks

And the winner is...CHIKARA VS. THE FLOOD!

Photo Credit: Scott Finkelstein

It can be hard to do all-encompassing promotional angles, but Chikara's war with The Flood was well-done and had a resolution that not only felt satisfying, but also raised questions and set the table for the next thing without making it feel like the whole year was for naught. The emotional stakes were raised with the wrestler "attrition," the microfeuds were kept hot, and it produced several cathartic moments, most notably at National Pro Wrestling Day with the company's rebirth and at King of Trios when Eddie Kingston "came home."

Announcer of the Year

And the nominees are:

• Bryce Remsburg
• Eamon Paton
• Excalibur
• Portia Perez
• Rich Brennan

And the winner is...EAMON PATON!

Photo Credit: Kelly Kyle

Paton is pretty much a rookie announcer, but one wouldn't know it by listening to his cool and informative play-by-play with multiple partners during Inspire Pro broadcasts. He showed a veteran presence and developed chemistry with anyone he shared the booth with, whether friendly like Bryce Remsburg or Portia Perez (Perez, friendly? Gotta get my ears checked) or antagonistic like Andy Dalton. Inspire Pro may have found itself the next great indie announcer.

Moment of the Year

And the nominees are:

• Chikara is reborn at National Pro Wrestling Day as the promotion's faithful, led by the Submission Squad and Icarus, beat back The Flood
• Deucalion "kills" Kobald with his chokebreaker at You Only Live Twice
• Nicole Matthews looses a fireball into Madison Eagles' face at the end of the four-way elimination match for the SHIMMER World Championship at Vol. 68
• Seth Rollins leaps from a mezzanine concourse onto Randy Orton and Triple H at Extreme Rules
• The Yes Movement invades the ring live on RAW, forcing Triple H to give Daniel Bryan his opportunity at WrestleMania

And the winner is...CHIKARA IS REBORN AT NATIONAL PRO WRESTLING DAY AS THE PROMOTION'S FAITHFUL, LED BY THE SUBMISSION SQUAD AND ICARUS, BEAT BACK THE FLOOD!

Photo Credit: Scott Finkelstein

Wrestling consumes my pop culture consumption and is the closest thing to a love that I have outside of the people in my life. Still, I have only ever cried twice at a wrestling happening. The first was at the end of DDT4 '13, when El Generico and Kevin Steen embraced for one last time before the former headed off to WWE. The second was here, at National Pro Wrestling Day. I kinda knew that Chikara's rebirth was coming, but how everything was pulled off, with the entire roster banding together to beat back the then-nameless Flood and reopen the promotion I loved more than any other in wrestling history filled me with such cathartic joy. Nothing else in 2014 came close to replicating that amount of emotional response. Nothing.

Promotion of the Year

And the nominees are:

• Beyond Wrestling
• Chikara
• Inspire Pro Wrestling
• SHIMMER Women Athletes
• WWE NXT

And the winner is...CHIKARA!

Photo Credit: Scott Finkelstein

When Chikara went dark in June 2013, a lot of people questioned the wisdom of a company intentionally closing its doors as part of its kayfabe. However, I think with how the long game played out, that bold choice turned out to be vindicated, especially with how the events of National Pro Wrestling Day and You Only Live Twice played out. From there, Chikara churned out the story and built towards an end of the season that had both resolution and continuance built in. Chikara has returned and claimed its spot back on top of the mountain.

Friendship is always magic with former Shield buddies Photo Credit: WWE.com

Best Friendship History – The Shield
Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns, and Seth Rollins' past together still means a lot to me. After a lengthy and repetitive opening segment, wherein EVERYONE had to have their say, Reigns was forced to compete against Rollins and Big Show...unless he could find a tag partner wacky enough to risk falling afoul of the Authority. Where, oh where could such a man be found?? And even though it was obvious, and even though I was thoroughly castigating Kane for even giving Reigns the opportunity to find a partner (THEY ALWAYS FIND A PARTNER, KANE. DO YOU EVEN WATCH WRESTLING?), I still smiled when Ambrose showed up to help.

The match was fine, with Ambrose doing the majority of the work and Reigns coming in at the end, and I enjoyed seeing all three former Shield members in the ring again. Despite my ongoing love for the friendship of Rollins and J and J Security, I also like to think that deep down Rollins still yearns for the good old days. In the end, he had to watch Reigns and Ambrose go down the ramp together after their victory, ever the best of friends, while he remained behind with Noble and Mercury. It's not the same, is it, Rollins? IT WILL NEVER BE THE SAME. This is unrelated, but I have to mention some of the terrible writing on this episode. Reigns referred to Rollins as being “full of sufferin' succotash, son,” and Big Show referred to his fist as “this big meaty club of a catcher's mitt.” Just...what? Thanks for the weird imagery.

Coolest Friends – Cesaro and Tyson Kidd
Cesaro and Tyson Kidd were at ringside during the Adam Rose/Big E match. The match was fine, but my favourite part was Cesaro and Kidd just hanging out at the announce table, sitting and chatting and being the picture of casual cool pals. They didn't get involved in the match or even give any indication that they were letting Rose in the club, as they pretty much just left him hanging after his loss. The burgeoning Cesaro/Kidd vs. New Day feud could make for some fun matches, but even if not, I'm still satisfied just watching the former team hang out.

Deserves A Friend – The Ascension
It turns out that it didn't matter that I missed the Ascension's match last week because they just did the same thing this week. Exact same promo. Exact same match. Exact same frothing rage from JBL and general disparagement from commentary. I'll level with you: the Ascension isn't really my bag. However, it's infuriating to see them come up from NXT only to be given boring as dirt squash match after squash match. The only time they're given to actually get themselves over is during the pre-match promos and those have all been thoroughly dismissed by commentary. It's such an absurdly counterproductive strategy. Their matches are too short to be memorable and we're told that their characters suck. What is this achieving, exactly? I'm going to have to give kudos to Michael Cole for once, as in response to JBL bellowing about the lack of challenge presented by local talent he tried to point out that the Ascension aren't the ones choosing their competition. JBL just shouted him down, but it was still the first (only?) legitimate point he made all night.

Best Friendship That Never Existed – Alicia Fox and Naomi
Alicia Fox and Naomi faced each other to continue the fall-out of Fox turning on Naomi. They used to be such good friends! Except that they didn't and I honestly can't even remember a time when they had a meaningful interaction. Still, though, I'll take the stunning betrayal of a non-existent friendship over ALICIA IS CRAZY AND NAOMI IS JEALOUS, which is undoubtedly what it will devolve into if the feud lasts. Fox has managed to become one of the more consistently entertaining members of the women's division, and hopefully her inclusion on Total Divas won't hinder her progress. Meanwhile, people have been talking about Naomi's potential for years, and hopefully her ousting from Total Divas will allow her to train more and fulfill said potential. Fox won this round, and I'm not opposed to seeing these two women face off again.

Friendship So Close and Yet So Far Away – Damien Mizdow and Stardust
Nice try, Smackdown. It's true that any advent of the Miz and Damien Mizdow is guaranteed to make me happy, but I was still not distracted by the fact that this was yet another Usos vs. Stardust and Goldust match with another team tossed into the mix. No points for originality! The three-team match was for the Tag Team titles. The Usos retained and the match was enjoyable, but it was largely a showcase for Mizdow. The crowd was fully behind him, as usual, and he spent a great deal of the match fighting valiantly whilst unable to tag in the Miz. And while Mizdow normally appears largely oblivious to the cheers, at one point he turned to the crowd, independent of what the Miz was doing at the time, in order to elicit some applause. Could this be some story progression?

The other major point of the match (for me, anyway) was seeing Mizdow and Stardust in the ring together, which, of course, put me in mind of the halcyon days of team Rhodes Scholars. I looked in vain for some spark of recognition between the two of them, but I retain hope that one day Damien Sandow and Cody Rhodes will be the best of friends again. As an aside, I liked the continuation of Kane's antagonism toward the Miz. I like that the Miz is the heel that even heels hate, and, much as I award Mizdow with deserved praise, the Miz has been doing a great job too, in the ring and out.

Weirdest Omission of Friendship – Sin Cara and Kalisto
Sin Cara faced and beat Bad News Barrett, an event that played directly into the unfortunate cliché that the Intercontinental Champion always loses non-title matches. The thing is, this didn't need to be such an absurdity. In the lands of Raw and Smackdown Sin Cara remains an infrequently-seen non-entity, but on NXT he's part of a successful tag team with Kalisto—they hold the NXT Tag Team titles. Seen in this light, a loss to Sin Cara would be nothing to scoff at, yet commentary didn't utter a word about it. Kalisto was nowhere to be found, nor did Sin Cara have his title with him. I still don't think that Barrett should have lost either way, but they could have at least made something more of this match.

This was the funeral of NXT on Thursday nights, but they went out the way they came in: not wasting a single segment and earning the title the Fastest Hour In Sports Entertainment.

It all culminated in another Revolution rematch, with the Lucha Dragons and the Vaudevillains both putting on their best match ever on the way to the champions (possibly surprisingly) retaining and holding their titles up high to put a bow on Full Sail Thursday nights. Despite the knot of crowd support for the throwbacks, the luchadores also received more than their fair share of love, leading to an interesting dynamic where the crowd seemingly just wanted the match and any possible ending that would've come out of it would work out fine by them.

So while the early part fell in the corner of the champions and you didn't get anything fancier than a doble tope, the latter half might very well have gone to the challengers on points due to their mastery of halving the ring and new forms of offense, most notably a leg-clutched Saito suplex at the hands of Gotch and a double chickenwing into a rollup by English that both garnered near-falls. They even did the little things right, like Aiden positioning his body between the Younger referee and his tights-pulling leverage takedown of Kalisto or Simon holding onto Aiden's legs after getting knocked to the floor to counter the lighter man's attempted multiple jump armdrag he's used to great effect in several defenses. Given that, not even Sin Cara's super victory roll wasn't going to be enough to stand the refurbished challenge, and Los Dragones were more than up to knocking that down with an absolutely insane one-armed powerbomb/springboard Slingblade combo platter that got them the W. If Hattori Hanzo had encountered that move, H² would've been cut; for guys known for their breathtaking offense that might've been their entirely of their top five when their online thirty seconds of fame happens. As it does in the other instances of Revolution-era rehashes it leaves the failed challengers in a bit of a bind and the current champions looking for new horizons to conquer, but man, quality is the deodorant to a lot of glandular malfunctions, and it served that very same purpose here.

Speaking of Revolution rematches, how'd you like to see the rubber match between the last two NXT Champions, Sami Zayn of course you would they had an awesome first chapter and their second match was one of the best matches in WWE's 2014 why don't we ask people if they'd like free puppies or an ATM to explode in their vicinity. That'll happen as the main event of the first Wednesday show, and we got there drama-free in the sort of opening segment that could make agnostics believe.

Kevin Owens could and did delay this moment, but for the time being that was all he did; they fired up Worlds Apart and Sami Zayn got a war hero's welcome. It was a standing O and Oles for everybody (even you), so the new champ hilariously said "Forget whatever I was going to do" by tossing the mic up in the air since about half a minute had gone by without him being able to get a word out and going out in the crowd and doing a victory lap to vociferousSami chants. Before he'd even gotten off so much as a second sentence he'd gotten the second You Deserve It chant in WWE annals. He talked in a way that couldn't help but remind longtime viewers of a similar promo when Eddy Guerrero captured the title about the belt belonging to the people and not to him after talking about how proud he was that he was able to do it while staying true to himself. Hell, the man was quoting Barry Manilow in his championship victory promo, going hoarse for a bit while doing it, and still so popular he could've punched a baby in the face afterwards and the baby would've been brought up on terrorist charges. The crowd was enthused to find out they were the band in Sami Zayn and the Zayniacs (Zaniacs? spelling tbd) and reacted with the three letters you might expect, only for The Champ to yell over them how much he loved that song.

KO's betrayal was nearly glossed over, but Zayn was more focused on making sure he held steadfast to Babyface Champion Edict #1: Anytime, Anyplace, Anybody. So this brought out the former champion, and while chastened, he still put over their Revolution match and Zayn becoming a champion in word and action alike. The handshake that ensued, especially given the state of things between them the week before that second go-round, was a subtly earned treasure that's a minor encapsulation of how much fun this whole thing's been to watch. Almost no sooner had Zayn brought up Adrian Neville being owed a rematch than the Blackpool Death March and his Lordship the General Manager out, and Regal got chants from the crowd as well. Regal immediately brought the focus back to the men in the ring, and put the official stamp on the rerematch. The only questions at this point are if Owens muddies these waters when it occurs and if Zayn/Neville III is the best chapter of an budding epic; at this point let us remember the mellifluous nature of Zayn's fourth shot at Cesaro that kicked off NXT's Arrival and two-hour live special era. If that wasn't WWE's 2014 MOTY of the year it should've been in the conversation, and that's the bar being looked at given the history and talent of the men involved here. That match will go alongside Bálor/Tyson Kidd and the first official throwdown between the slightly movable object of Bull Dempsey against the barely resistible force of Baron Corbin for the Wednesday premiere.

As for the Curtis Axel Rejuvenation Machine? Well, it's going to need a bit more tweaking and work since Hideo Itami almost literally kicked the crap out of it in the evening's first match. It's interesting watching them develop he and Finn both as a unit and as separate entities. You, the discerning BCB Fan Club Member, have seen the former in action as they've essentially demoted the Ascension to Monday nights. The latter will be on display next week when the artist formerly known as Prince takes on TK, and here where Hideo might've put on the best singles match in his short Florida stay so far. Axel didn't need to do much other than hit his marks and provide some antagonism, but the crowd was invested from front to back as Itami overcame the $100,000 kneelift and avoided the Imperfectplex on his way to hitting his still-unnamed basement hurricane kick for the victory. Even better, at the desk Rich let a little joshing banter go on between Jason Alberts and Corey Graves before asking them to focus in on the match. (Lest you think that was some sort of anomaly, a similar beat occurred in the title main event. Again, Everyone Responsible For NXT Is A Genius And I Will Die Protecting Their Vision.)

Most interestingly after Sasha Banks choked out Alexa Bliss again -- nothing horrible, but nothing anybody who didn't just jump on the NXT bandwagon hasn't seen a handful of times already -- Tyler Breeze came back from vacationing for a new seasonal residence to take on Chad Gable. Before the match some notes merely had him listed as Victim or Baby Angle, but he was more of a Cena debut here as he clearly outwrestled T-Breezie with counters into front chancery and rereversals that justified his vaguely patriotic singlet and even put on a rope-and-assisted Code Red before falling victim to that which most TB victims fall victim to (and WWE superstars do as well), [Insert The Name Of The Finishing Move Here] OUTTA NOWHERE (™ World Wrestling Entertainment). But having worked some of NXT's house shows, he got a lot of love from the crowd and then justified it by looking good against one of NXT's unsung ring talents. This may just be an odd footnote for the rebuilding of Breeze, or this could be the launching point for CG. Again, the fact he had to be noted and named after overcoming a wave of apathy for the normal home viewer suggests a bright future.

That future'll be on Wednesdays, but still--NXT is NXT. And awesome is awesome no matter how you opt to spell it.

A doubleshot of Austin podcast recaps Photo Credit: WWE.com

If you're new, here's the rundown: I listen to a handful of wrestling podcasts each week. Too many, probably, though certainly not all of them. In the interest of saving you time — in case you have the restraint to skip certain episodes — the plan is to give the bare bones of a given show and let you decide if it’s worth investing the time to hear the whole thing. There are better wrestling podcasts out there, of course, but these are the ones in my regular rotation that I feel best fit the category of hit or miss. If I can save other folks some time, I'm happy to do so.

Show: Steve Austin Show
Episode: 183 (Jan. 6, 2015)
Run Time: 1:47:59
Guest: Jeff Williams

Summary: Stone Cold is at the Broken Skull Ranch for the holidays. His younger brother is in from Alaska and he brought his guitar. The bulk of the episode is Williams playing covers and originals, but there’s a little talk about music, learning instruments and some shared childhood experiences

Quote of the week: Austin: “When my dad used to have those come to Jesus meetings with us, we would get our ass whooped. And he’d hands us our ass. We got whipped by a belt. But that’s the way we were brought up. People are a little bit politically sensitive to that stuff now. But that’s how we was raised. The thing about it was dad used to cry after he had to whip Scott, me or Kevin. We were his kids and it hurt him to do it. But he had to, because we outgrew mom’s whoopings, so he had to.”

Why you should listen: You want to hear Austin’s little brother sing country music.

Why you should skip it: You don’t want to hear Austin’s little brother sing country music.

Final thoughts: I skipped through most of the songs. Williams isn’t a bad picker or singer, I just didn’t care. We’re not at “wrestling a fly” degrees of questionable content or anything, but there’s not much else to say about this episode. You most definitely know what you’re getting.

---

Show: Steve Austin Show Unleashed
Episode: 184 (Jan. 8, 2015)
Run Time: 1:14:44
Guest: None

Summary: Austin is flying solo this week and, after a bit of talk about Broken Skull Challenge, football and the Brian Pillman home invasion angle, reads a bunch of listener emails — more than one of which includes questions about extraneous noises during his podcast. He also covers ring gear, favorite theme songs, where else he could have worked after losing his WCW job, a famous guitar, working in War Games and battle royal matches, the Stunner, calling spots, other gimmicks he might have used, he word “brother,” working as a heel, some of his favorite vernacular and one more look at the match in which he took 10 German suplexes.

Quote of the week:“When you got 20 guys or better in that ring, it starts getting real crowded, real fast. And then you’ll have somebody wanna come in there and run a goddamn high spot in amongst all that bullshit, and it’s real easy to get hurt. The old gimmick of grabbing a guy and almost throwing him over the top rope, but holding him there forever and ever and ever and never being able to just explode and throw him over the top rope is ridiculous. And don’t get me wrong, I’ve done that a million times, and it’s ridiculous.”

Why you should listen: As listener email shows go, this might be Austin’s best. He explores a fair amount of new territory and moves quickly among topics, keeping up the energy and getting back to one of the reasons the podcast was so appealing when it debuted — because it showed how much Austin was a student and fan of wrestling, how seriously he took his career and how it could have derailed several times along the way. It’s hell on kayfabe, but I find a lot of it fascinating.

Why you should skip it: It’s not all fresh ground. Chances are good you’ve heard Austin talk about his trunks, using the Stunner, why he preferred working heel and especially (since it was within the last few shows) his thoughts about the 10-suplex match. And he also gets away from wrestling a few times, which I always feel is something of a lull. Nothing personal, but I’m not all that interested in who owns which Stevie Ray Vaughan guitar or what to keep in my trunk in case of emergency.

Final thoughts: It’s a mixed bag. Some of it’s great, some of it isn’t. For me it was a vast improvement over the Tuesday show, and it was certainly more interesting than Jim Ross talking with Dixie Carter. Obviously Austin can offer better shows, but as an optimist I’m going to choose to be satisfied he’s showing signs of improving the nature of his email shows. They make nice filler when he can’t land a guest, provided he takes the time to choose the right questions to answer.

Rusev represents Russia and Putin, so he's a natural opponent for the first out gay WWE superstar ever Photo Credit: WWE.com

WWE has a Rusev problem right now. It's not so much about the superstar himself. He and Lana comprise the best bang-for-your-buck act in the company right now, and I'm not sure it's even close right now. The problem is a combination of booking vs. expected crowd reactions as well as his WrestleMania endgame. WWE has booked itself into a corner with Rusev in that it has no good challengers for him left in the midcard, and his booking has been unusual for someone who is supposed to get boos. The only heelish thing he's done in his run has been praising Vladimir Putin. Otherwise, he's just a nationalistic wrestler who plays mostly by the rules and has to deal with what amounts to bullying from American forces bitter that someone NOT FROM HERE is doing well.

The lack of opponent and the weak premise behind his heeldom has led a lot of fans, writers, commentators, and even people who work the sources for dirt sheets to speculate that Rusev is being fatted up for sacrifice to John Cena at WrestleMania. Cena right now has nothing to do if the top projected matches come to pass, and he said it himself. If an up-and-comer wants to make it in WWE, that wrestler needs to go through him. While the match itself could steal the show, the expected result would reinforce the current company line. Cena's the only guy that matters, and I don't trust WWE to tell a story that would enhance or elevate Rusev's stature despite losing to that only guy who matters.

All the above isn't to say that Rusev should win at Mania or continue to win until the Sun expands into a red giant and swallows the Earth into fiery, plasmatic doom. Someone should hand him that first loss, but it should be someone who can have a tense, meaningful feud with Rusev that doesn't revolve around shitty jingoism, a wrestler who has cache and future potential and who fits into Rusev's portfolio like the missing piece of his jigsaw puzzle. Luckily for all parties involved, that wrestler stealthily came back to WWE in the last week and was actually standing behind Cena during the cold open to RAW last Monday.

Young fits a lot of profiles for the guy to end Rusev's run Photo Credit: WWE.com

When last WWE audiences saw Darren Young, he was in the middle of getting turned upon by Prime Time Players partner Titus O'Neil. He'd also recently revealed to the world that he was gay, making him the first professional wrestler to come out of the closet while an active employee of WWE (Pat Patterson's sexual proclivities were the worst-kept secret in WWE and were not fully disclosed until the finale of Legends House.) The announcement hasn't come into play in the WWE narrative, which was at the heart of a debate I had with Dave Meltzer on Twitter a few months back.

Basically, he argued that because Young's announcement didn't move any financials or other measurable ratings for WWE that it was a "non-issue," which to me is a wrong-headed argument to make because the announcement made a lot of queer fans feel more comfortable with the company. However, his argument did make a good tangential point in that Young's sexuality maybe should be used as storyline fodder. Young can be an icon for the LGBTQ community within wrestling if WWE gave him a platform, and no better time exists to give a guy a big push then after he comes back from an injury.

Of course, the caveat here is that WWE writers and ESPECIALLY Vince McMahon have proven to handle sensitive cultural issues with all the nuance and delicacy of charging rhinoceros. Having Young embrace his homosexuality as a gimmick would be a mistake, because homosexuality is not a gimmick, no matter what television stereotypes want you to believe. Rather, Young's sexual orientation can be a thing that's known about him, like his hometown or his finishing move. He can be a fully actualized pro wrestler with traits and gimmicks independent of his shoot-self who just happens to like other men.

And that's where the Rusev feud would come in. Again, Rusev and Lana love themselves some Mother Russia and especially its dictatorial leader Putin. The Russian President has become a figurehead for his country's bigoted laws against homosexuality, and he even took time to remind Olympic athletes that having gay intercourse during the Sochi Olympics last year was against the law. All it would take would be one promo from Lana trying to scathe Young for his "immoral" ways to set the feud in motion. It would give Young grounds to both embolden gay fans by standing up to Rusev and establish that his character isn't a flaming gay dude in a pro wrestling standpoint but as a wrestler whose personal business includes him dating and possibly marrying someone of the same sex. Additionally, Young feuding with Rusev would be a callback to the early days of the Rusev character, when he almost exclusively feuded with and destroyed Black wrestlers.

If the story is told correctly, then it could end up elevating Young and allowing Rusev to be freed of the United States Championship and his burdensome winning streak and move onto greener pastures in the main event. The caveat here is that the story would be told correctly, but at this point, Rusev seems to be the one wrestler that WWE Creative is getting as right as it can get an honorable, babyface wrestler who is being played for heel heat. Sacrificing Rusev to Cena would be stupid. Pushing him to the main event in a rash, last-second move might be too much, too soon. Any other option at his paygrade might be backsliding. But a Young story that would legitimately heel Rusev for the first time since coming up to the main roster? Now that sounds like a story worth telling for the biggest show of the year.

The Young Bucks and the rest of the WrestleKingdom 9 card were a subject this week Photo Credit: Scott Finkelstein

If you're new, here's the rundown: I listen to a handful of wrestling podcasts each week. Too many, probably, though certainly not all of them. In the interest of saving you time — in case you have the restraint to skip certain episodes — the plan is to give the bare bones of a given show and let you decide if it’s worth investing the time to hear the whole thing. There are better wrestling podcasts out there, of course, but these are the ones in my regular rotation that I feel best fit the category of hit or miss. If I can save other folks some time, I'm happy to do so.

Show: Cheap Heat
Episode: Jan. 8, 2015
Run Time: 1:22:00
Guest: None

Summary: The show begins with David Shoemaker and Peter Rosenberg more or less making small talk, including a bit of back-and-forth about the various financially-based Mike Rotunda gimmicks. They eventually take a look at the Jan. 5 RAW and discuss changes to the WWE commentary teams. Rosenberg brings up a Jake Roberts documentary before they tackle WrestleKingdom 9. Following that they answer a few listener questions, which includes a look at the Royal Rumble WWE Title match. The final segment is Rosenberg’s thoughts about WWE’s recent Randy Savage DVD.

Quote of the week: Shoemaker on the Young Bucks: “I never can get their names straight. But the one with the brown hair has the most s-eating grin in the history of mankind. I want to punch him in the face more than Bo Dallas. But I think that’s a good thing. I think that that’s part of the shtick. They’re just so hateable. Maybe that’s my problem with them, I live in kayfabe too much.”

Why you should listen: There’s far less focus than usual on the preceding RAW, and far more focus on New Japan than any previous episode of this podcast. The brief stuff about the Roberts doc will be appealing to anyone who has followed any part of The Snake’s career, and Rosenberg has some excellent insights about Savage gleaned from the documentary, which are extra timely given the announcement of Savage’s pending WWE Hall of Fame induction.

Why you should skip it: I’m no NJPW expert, but even I found Rosenberg anxious to move on from talking about WK9 — likely because he hadn’t yet watched the whole show. Shoemaker had and was ready to rave about its success, but Rosenberg got bored once his co-host started naming too many Japanese stars. And even before that the RAW talk was almost entirely unnecessary, and the first 10 minutes of the show are like watching someone else look up stuff on Wikipedia.

Final thoughts: This episode could have been improved by skipping any and all RAW talk (or maybe nothing more than discussing Booker T on color commentary) and if Rosenberg had actually watched WK9 before recording. It’s fine if he doesn’t want to take the time to experience the show, but then he should just let Shoemaker have the floor unaided, or maybe we’d all be better off if Shoemaker just wrote about the event for Grantland. Ultimately there’s about 30 minutes of decent stuff in an 80-minute episode, and it’s not exactly consecutive contiguous. And that’s a better ratio than some weeks.

Can Foley prove he's the hardcore legend... OF CHICKEN WING EATING? Photo Credit: WWE.com

Mick Foley announced today that he will be participating in the Wing Bowl, a Philadelphia "tradition" that sees competitive eaters and gross amateurs pile into the CoreStatesWachoviaFirst Union Wells Fargo Center and attempt to eat as many wings as possible in the early hours of the Friday morning the weekend of the Super Bowl for a throng of drunkards while bikini-clad women strut around for gawking purposes. Fun for the whole family! Anyway, just as he was known as the most hardcore wrestler during his active days, Foley is looking to amp up the difficulty so that he can be known as the most EXTREME wingador known to man. The following are a list of his stipulations to add to his degree of difficulty while scarfing down wings on January 30:

• Will be required to eat the bones as well as the meat
• Foley's wings to be covered in nuclear ghost chili sauce
• New rule stating that competitors who've ever had an ear sheared off their heads must eat three wings for them to count as two
• Will have mountains of chairs thrown at him as he attempts to eat
• If he doesn't place in the top three, daughter Noelle will be forced to become a Wingette
• Raw wing to be put in Foley's pile at random
• Foley must kill all his chickens by hand before being able to eat them
• If he doesn't place in the top five, son Dewey will be forcibly adopted by morning show host Angelo Cataldi
• RKO OUTTA NOWHERE
• Vader to potato the shit out of him between wings
• Mandatory wardrobe changes into each of the Three Faces of Foley
• In twist of fate, CM Punk to berate him by saying he'll never be a true competitive wing eater until he can best John Cena
• Wings to be shot out of a special "wing cannon" and must be caught by Foley in the mouth for them to count
• Must eat wings while dictating his next children's book
• Has to figure out how to eat wings while starting out competition with jaw wired shut
• Also must compete while drug muling for former Wing Bowl Champion, "El Wingador" Bill Simmons
• All the kids who got coal in their stockings for Christmas from Santa Claus to pelt him with said coal if he falls too far behind
• To compete covered in rubber so that when a glue-covered Paul Heyman calls him a "prostitute," the words will bounce off him and stick back onto his former employer
• Has to eat with Mr. Socko lodged in his mouth
• Must finish wings before Undertaker throws him from atop the cell

As stringent as those stipulations sound, at least the conditions will be better than when he worked for TNA.

WWE policy seems to be KEEP ROMAN REIGNS STRONG unless he's cutting promos Photo Credit: WWE.com

Remember the Shield? The collective of 3 guys that, as a unit, managed to tick off every single box that Vince McMahon seemed to want in a main event guy? Seth Rollins brought the athleticism, Dean Ambrose the intense promos, and then there was Roman Reigns. Roman was literally bursting at the seams with the kind of charisma that you don't see that much anymore, plus he was a heartthrob of the sort that WWE hasn't really produced since a prime Rock. He looked, and seemed, like a matinee idol. But you'll notice I'm using the past-tense in all of this, and there's a reason for that. That guy I mentioned, the guy who was supposed to be the WWE's answer to Khal Drogo (right down to making Renee Young Daenerys Targaryen) is now doing this. And this is awful.


On the face of it, someone wanting revenge for betrayal is as easy a promo as you can write. Top stars from San Francisco to Tampa have all delivered it, and delivered it with varying degrees of success, but here's the key to it. THEY delivered it. When Jerry Lawler was pissed, you knew he was because everything was genuine. Same with Tom Prichard, Bruno Sammartino, Dusty Rhodes, Konnan, or any top territory star you might want to name. The point remains the same.

Roman Reigns, on the other hand, is clearly trying to remember lines as the WWE tries desperately to force a triangle into a circular hole. Not everyone cuts promos the same. Roman Reigns needs to show up, look cool and be cool, and cut promos with a minimum of fluff. Perhaps Reigns should try this instead:


Because right now, this road he'se going on is killing everything that made him interesting. And I don't want to see it. And if the WWE, in their increasingly less-than-infinite wisdom, thinks that this is the best way to make a new star, I don't want to see them "try".

I love that Macho is being celebrated, but has Vince McMahon earned that right? Photo Credit: WWE.com

"Macho Man" Randy Savage was announced as the first inductee into the 2015 class of the WWE Hall of Fame. Many fans have found his exclusion over the years to be an injustice, as if the personal corporate rewards program of Vince McMahon, Legends division, is something to be coveted as a career goal rather than just a nice Saturday night out with your old employer and coworkers before the biggest date on the current company's work calendar. Savage joins Bruno Sammartino, Bret Hart, and Ultimate Warrior as wrestlers who had a rift with McMahon but were welcomed back into the fold, culminating in a Hall of Fame induction. However, those three wrestlers all share something in common with each other that they don't with Savage; they were allowed to accept their inductions and get their final catharses while alive.

One could argue Savage was well on his way to an organic reconciliation with McMahon and induction in the same way many other wrestlers have in the past decade or so since the Hall has been reestablished. WWE produced a flattering career retrospective of his, included him with great pomp and circumstance into that WWE All-Stars game, and he even shot a few commercials for action figures before his untimely death. But that passing muddled the issue, and history was not allowed to unfold in the same way it did for the others. It might not have been the fault of McMahon or WWE (even if the company might have at the very least accelerated the path to his death in several ways if I am to be honest), but after his passing, the ship for his image and likeness to be exploited by WWE should have sailed away.

The rift between Savage and McMahon was deep as the stories go. McMahon viewed Savage as a son-figure, and he wanted him to be around in an administrative sense. Savage wanted to keep wrestling, however, so he went to WCW, which unlike other jumps, apparently hurt McMahon to his soul. Far be it from me not to empathize with a man who'd been betrayed, however, but sometimes, if you view a guy as that close to you, maybe you should let him do what he wants and make compromises so that the relationship isn't torn asunder, especially when you are the most powerful guy in your company and one of the most influential dudes in your industry (even if he was at his nadir at that point).

But now, McMahon gets to pretend that the last two decades of pro wrestling history didn't happen. He struck a deal with Savage's brother, Lanny Poffo, and he's going to get to have yet another landmark Hall of Fame class, just like the one he had with Sammartino (also noting that according to every report, Triple H went out and made that one happen). But it feels cheap. I don't know, maybe I'm just a trashdick, self-entitled fan with a blanket anti-corporate agenda, but I feel like one should earn the chance to celebrate someone's life while they're still alive. It's more than fair to ask if McMahon did that with Savage, or whether he's going to parade around with Savage's memory like nothing ever went wrong between the two.

The thing that bothers me the most is this feeling that Savage is finally going to get celebrated with this Hall of Fame induction. The biggest work that WWE ever got the people to believe is that its Hall is worth anything more than the price they charge people to look at the list of superstars inducted on its website. Hell, if I were McMahon, Triple H, and everyone else in that front office, I would have been laughing my ass off when TNA actually ran an angle where those Hall of Fame rings were a Macguffin. Savage doesn't need to be in that Hall to be recognized. He doesn't need Vince McMahon's seal of approval to be known as one of the greatest performers ever to don the spandex and boots. Neither does Owen Hart. Nor does anyone who isn't in that Hall of Fame with whose legacy McMahon would be playing fast and loose if he were to put them in after they'd died.

I'm not saying I won't get emotional when the video packages roll or when the tributes start coming in. However, those bits rousing my memories and making me fond of one of my favorite wrestling characters of all-time won't lessen the dubious nature of why they're coming across my screen. I'm not sure McMahon has earned his right to celebrate the life of a man he shut out for petty, business reasons for nearly two decades, but hey, nothing like that has ever stopped the man before, has it?

Austin presents an old Heyman podcast this week Photo Credit: WWE.com

If you're new, here's the rundown: I listen to a handful of wrestling podcasts each week. Too many, probably, though certainly not all of them. In the interest of saving you time — in case you have the restraint to skip certain episodes — the plan is to give the bare bones of a given show and let you decide if it’s worth investing the time to hear the whole thing. There are better wrestling podcasts out there, of course, but these are the ones in my regular rotation that I feel best fit the category of hit or miss. If I can save other folks some time, I'm happy to do so.

Show: Steve Austin Show
Episode: 185 (Jan. 13, 2015)
Run Time: 1:39:13
Guest: Paul Heyman (11:40)

Summary: Austin’s back in LA again, but short on time to cook up a new episode he reaches back to when he sat down with Paul Heyman between SummerSlam and Night of Champions. Though he originally deemed this chat a waste and re-recorded a podcast (released months ago), he decided now to bring this interview to light. Austin and Heyman discuss movie gigs, promo work, SummerSlam and the (then upcoming) Brock Lesnar/John Cena rematch. After a break, Austin gets Heyman going on his entry into the business, what he learned from working with Jim Ross and the peak of their partnership at WrestleMania X-Seven. Heyman explains why it’s unfair to both parties to compare guys like himself and Austin to earlier stars like Bobby Heenan and Bruno Sammartino. He then waxes on being a survivor and defining success before ending with thoughts on “Superstar” Billy Graham as well as Cesaro.

Quote of the week:“I’m afforded the opportunity to cut my own promos. I know the concept that we’re going after. I pretty much know the storyline. But the rest has been, fortunately, up to me — because I haven’t screwed it up yet. And you know this as well as I do, Vince will give you enough rope to hang yourself. And the first time I screw the pooch, the first time I don’t live up to his expectations or the audience’s expectations with my description of Brock Lesnar or John Cena or the storyline that we’re involved in, will be the last time I’m afforded that opportunity. I approach every Monday Night RAW as my audition to be on the program the next week. And if you take that attitude going into it, I think you will drive yourself to your best work ever.”

Why you should listen: Because Paul Heyman is a great talker. His praise of Ross’ work for the Austin-Rock main event got me excited to go watch a 14-year-old match just to listen to the commentary. He indirectly explains why Cena-Lesnar remains such a compelling program and, through a great Dusty Rhodes anecdote, helps fans understand the difference between being a good actor or working a good character and actually selling something fans want to buy.

Why you should skip it: There’s some overlap with the episode Austin actually released. And although Lesnar is back on TV now, the build to Night of Champions isn’t the most timely topic four months down the road. Further, if you’re coming to this episode looking for any great insight into the mind of Paul Heyman, you’ll likely be disappointed. It’s not that he isn’t honest or forthcoming — he predictably dominates the conversation, with Austin trying to shift topics when Heyman comes up for air — just that what you see with Heyman is more or less what you get. If there’s any surprises left to be uncovered, they’re not even hinted at here.

Final thoughts: If you missed the original Austin-Heyman chat (Episode 146), you’ll want to go back and hear more about Heyman’s background as a fan-turned-photographer who curried favor with Vince McMahon Sr. And if you do that, you might get your fill of Cena-Lesnar talk. I’m perfectly OK with Austin releasing this episode despite the few redundancies, and waiting until mid-January seems like the right amount of time to let it breathe. If the alternative was yet another email response show, this was a great choice on Austin’s part.