DRUDGE SIREN: Jushin "Thunder" Liger Is Wrestling at Takeover: Brooklyn

July 17, 2015, 5:30 am

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LIGER COMIN' Photo Credit: Scott Finkelstein

First, Sting appeared for WWE at Survivor Series last year, culminating in a match against Triple H at WrestleMania XXXI. Then, Samoa Joe first signed a true independent contractor deal with WWE before transitioning into a full-time deal with the company. Now, another legendary figure who had not appeared with WWE before now is coming to roost. Jushin "Thunder" Liger, arguably the most innovative and influential junior heavyweight of the last 25 years, will make his WWE debut for the NXT brand at Takeover: Brooklyn on August 22. The news on WWE.com makes it all the more real, and additionally, reports say his opponent will be none other than Tyler Breeze.

This news has a lot to unpack, a LOT. Liger debuted in March 1984, a career that will have spanned 31 years and five months before making an appearance for WWE. His run makes Sting's holdout from Vince McMahon's multimedia conglomerate and wrestling company look smaller in comparison, although not by much. However, he has technically held a WWE Championship; although it's not recognized by WWE right now, he held the then-WWF Light Heavyweight Championship as part of the J-Crown, an eight-belt-strong title made famous by Ultimo Dragon as part of his allure in World Championship Wrestling (how ironic).

Liger is 50 years old right now, but as proven by his recent runs in Ring of Honor as part of the Global Wars/War of the Worlds tours of the last few years, he's still got something left in the tank. Even if he's not the same Liger who competed in Super J Cups, he's a savvy veteran who can still work entertaining matches. It's not like his opponent is any slouch either.

Breeze over the last couple of years has rounded into a top hand for the NXT brand. While indie stars have come in and whirled past him in card position, the former Mike Dalton has held serve with them in the ring. His matches against Sami Zayn and Finn Bálor have been highlights on their respective cards. While the temptation would have put Liger in a rematch against Samoa Joe or against another one of the "indie darlings," Breeze is perhaps the perfect opponent for him. He's busted his ass as the longest-tenured guy in developmental to not have gotten a shot on the main roster, and it's not a match that any other promotion could book.

Last but certainly not least, if this is a peek into the future of a Triple H-run WWE, then the future looks bright because it will be different. If Liger is in play for a Takeover special one-off (and right now, the indication is that this will be a one-off), then what's keeping working agreements with other big companies abroad for similar one-offs? Might the Daniel Bryan/Shinsuke Nakamura dream match happen should the former recover from his concussion issues? I might be getting way ahead of myself here. Also, the fact that it's NXT and not WWE might shed light into the kind of freedom Trips has at the next level down when he doesn't have to answer to shareholders. Still, it shows intestinal fortitude and boldness, characteristics that Vince McMahon hasn't shown in years.

And the winners out of all of this are wrestling fans. This Takeover card was in trouble of being shallow thanks to injuries and looming call-ups, and Liger gives it the shot in the arm that makes it look, on paper, to be as strong as some of the prior specials. Triple H is raising the stakes not only for indies in the area, but also against the main roster, at least critically. It's a great time to be a wrestling fan.

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I Listen So You Don't Have To: Cheap Heat July 15

July 17, 2015, 7:00 am

≫ Next: Paul London Is One High-Fivin' MF

≪ Previous: DRUDGE SIREN: Jushin "Thunder" Liger Is Wrestling at Takeover: Brooklyn

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John Cena is put on trial in this week's Cheap Heat 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: Cheap Heat
Episode: July 15, 2015
Run Time: 1:14:56
Guest: None

Summary: Peter Rosenberg, David Shoemaker and Stat Guy Greg are in studio. They come out firing revisiting the arrival of NXT superstars on RAW and hit a few other points from Monday’s show. After diversions into wrestling shirts (again), the impact of wrestling fandom on romantic relationships and musings about who might have videos of 1980s wrestlers on the road, agent Bryan Diperstein calls in to discuss the upcoming Cheap Heat TriviaSlam. Getting back to RAW they look at the triple threat match and why “John Cena is a horrible person,” (per Shoemaker), discuss the Vince McMahon memo to announcers and take listener questions before giving Battleground predictions and hearing Greg’s corrections.

Quote of the week: Shoemaker, on why so many foreigners are trying to win the WWE United States Championship: “On the one hand, it’s just a belt. I mean, It’s arguably the No. 2 belt in the company right now, so anybody should want a piece of it. Ironically, if anybody won the belt, it would immediately become like the No. 3 belt in the company. It becomes less valuable when you take it away from John Cena. There’s some sort of Pyrrhic victory thing going on here if somebody else won. But, there’s also the long tradition of foreigners wanting the U.S. belt just so that they can use it to just thumb their nose at America.”

Why you should listen: The debate over the scripting of the NXT invasion segment is pretty interesting, the triple threat gets its due and Shoemaker does an excellent takedown of Cena (the character). The diversions this week are actually still fairly interesting and topical, and it’s the first time I’ve heard the Owen Hart-Ultimate Warrior rib story at a time I really needed to laugh. If you’re a wrestling stat nerd the idea of writing trivia questions is mildly inspiring. And Rosenberg seems to be getting his sound board fetish under control.

Why you should skip it: Not all the diversions are welcome. The RAW review is too narrow, the Battleground predictions are a rushed afterthought (and, though it’s not Cheap Heat’s fault, not fully relevant given timing of the Ryback injury and Undertaker rumors) and the listener questions aren’t spectacular. Diperstein’s call makes the show even more insider baseball than usual.

Final thoughts: Steve Austin and Jim Ross no longer follow week-to-week WWE TV. Cheap Heat has carried that ball fairly well, but drops it here, at least in regards to looking ahead to Battleground. While that’s probably more a function of how weak the card seems to be, it’s still frustrating to see Cheap Heat lose a bit of grip on its niche hold. It’s likely Shoemaker’s Grantland piece this week picks up that slack. All that said, if you’re a fan who doesn’t need a deep dive on Battleground predictions, this is a pretty nice little episode, at least the stuff on either side of the phone call. Chances are most folks will enjoy this listen.

Paul London Is One High-Fivin' MF

July 17, 2015, 8:30 am

≫ Next: Smackdown: Friendship is Magic

≪ Previous: I Listen So You Don't Have To: Cheap Heat July 15

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The Dolphin Master had an entrance for the ages at the last Beyond Wrestling show Photo Credit: WWE.com

Paul London appeared for Beyond Wrestling's most recent event, Life Sucks and Then You Die, at great personal cost to Denver Colorado (The man, not the place!). SO you know that when he got to the arena, he was going to give it his all. It was assumed that he'd go hard in the ring, but London gave the crowd an extra added bonus during his entrance, which you can see unedited and uncensored after the jump:

Nearly seven minutes of footage, and yes, it is all London's entrance. I don't want to spoil the whole thing, but I'm pretty sure The Intrepid Traveler high fived everyone in Fete Music at least once if not twice. It's the dedication to fanservice that really makes the whole entrance as special as it is. And believe you me, London is incredibly special, definitely in a good way. He may not pop up a whole lot in the ring lately, but when he does, he's going to bring the noise AND the funk. That entrance is just a tip of the iceberg.

NOTE: Yes, title is a reference to the kick-ass Local H song, "High-Fivin' MF." The high-fivin' motherfucker referenced in the song is definitely painted in a negative light, but trust me, London is aces with me.

Smackdown: Friendship is Magic

July 17, 2015, 10:00 am

≫ Next: Journey into Chikara on Wednesdays, As If That Day Wasn't Already Packed

≪ Previous: Paul London Is One High-Fivin' MF

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Wyatt and Reigns should just say F it and be more than friends Photo Credit: WWE.com

Should Be More Than Friends – Roman Reigns and Bray Wyatt
Well, I don't know about “should be,” but at this point I'm becoming convinced that these two WANT to be more than friends. We had Reigns talking about how Wyatt screwed him at Money in the Bank, Wyatt talking about bringing his “hammer” down and Reigns demanding that he bring said hammer to the ring, Wyatt getting excited about inspiring “fire” in Reigns and crying out, “give it to me!” I mean, I hardly even have to read between the lines here. All of their talk about destroying each other has been just that: talk. At the end of the show Wyatt was literally sitting down outside the ring, and Reigns just stood there and stared at him. Clearly, mutually assured destruction isn't what these two actually have on their minds.

Throw in Dean Ambrose as the awkward third wheel who keeps wandering in and out of this feud, and you've got the makings of a wacky sitcom wherein all of three of them raise Reign's daughter together. As for the main event involving Reigns and Ambrose, it was...fine? I feel bad for not really paying attention to it. Yes, it gave us yet another match-up between Big Show and Reigns, but Ambrose and Sheamus were there, too, and there was no Authority interference for once. However, the Wyatt appearance was just as predictable, and I found myself just kind of waiting for it to happen rather than getting invested in the match. WWE has got to stop relying on these finishes.

Best Friends – New Day. And The Prime Time Players. And The Lucha Dragons, What The Hell. 
I'm really enjoying the tag division right now, so don't look for anyone else to be labelled as “best friends” any time soon. These teams are just perfectly gelled and putting on entertaining matches. This episode saw Kofi Kingston and Big E taking on the Dragons, with the Prime Time Players on commentary. The New Day won, and I'm still loving their feud with the Players, with the Dragons still looming on the edge of the title hunt.


Most Depressing Friendship Situations – Bad News Barrett and Jack Swagger
What am even supposed to do with a Barrett versus Swagger match? The only situation sadder than Barrett's right now is Swagger's, and while I was glad to see Barrett get a win, I don't for a single second believe this is going to lead to better things for him. He's just one man fighting the sea of wackiness that is R-Truth, and even though Barrett's impassioned speech about having actually earned the right to call himself King of the Ring, the narrative still wants us to cheer for Truth because “fun!” or whatever. Meanwhile Swagger is still adrift without Zeb Colter, and the futility of his continued existence is just bumming me out. However, I did get a kick out of Jimmy Uso talking about how it's actually super great to be relegated to the kick-off show, having done it so many times himself. His enthusiasm for such a thankless role was kind of adorable.

Should Be Friends. Or Not, I Don't Really Care – Cesaro and Rusev
These two can join forces to crush everyone in their path, or they can keep tossing each other around. Whichever option will continue to keep Rusev away from that awful Lana storyline and build him back into the Bulgarian Brute we know and love, and keep Cesaro on my television. Cesaro won on this episode, but I am not averse to future rematches. Or tag team-ups. Whatever.

Best Burgeoning Lack of Friendship – Neville and Stardust
I know that some are disappointed that Cody Rhodes didn't come back as himself, and I understand that, but, personally, I never stopped liking the Stardust character. I don't like how he's been used – or, rather, not used – since the break-up with Goldust, but I still think the character himself has a lot of potential. This comic book-esque match-up with Neville could be amazing. I am all for having more superhero aspects in my wrestling. Also, Neville's shortcoming so far has been that he really doesn't have a character. “Sensational” and “defying gravity” are great descriptors, but they don't add up to a personality. Pairing him with Stardust, who is ALL personality, will hopefully bring something out in Neville. Plus, their matches will be super fun. I loved Stardust's vicious attack on Neville backstage after having lost the match, and it's nice to see him return as fully committed as ever to the role.

Journey into Chikara on Wednesdays, As If That Day Wasn't Already Packed

July 17, 2015, 11:30 am

≫ Next: The End Is Not Nigh, but That Doesn't Mean to Trust WWE

≪ Previous: Smackdown: Friendship is Magic

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It's coming... Graphics via ChikaraPro.com

Wednesday nights are the new it-night for pro wrestling. On WWE Network, one can find NXT, where favorites like Bayley, Samoa Joe, and Finn Bálor can be found. Destination America has a doubleheader of pro wrestling programming spanning three hours, one of Ring of Honor and two for TNA Impact. And the El Rey Network brings the world Lucha Underground with its fantastical take on episodic wrestling, lucha libre-style, with heavy elements of science fiction and primetime drama. And now, Chikara will enter the fray via its Chikaratopia streaming service and its YouTube channel.

The show will be called Journey into Chikara, and it will air live at 7 PM on Wednesday for a limited six week run. The powers that be have made it clear this is an experiment, but an experiment in what is a mystery. The rest of the project has been shrouded in secrecy. Will it be a live wrestling show featuring matches? Will it be a glorified Podcast-a-Go-Go featuring live analysis over taped footage? Is it going to be a riff on Tuesday Night Titans? None of those turns would really surprise me.

However, the viewing public will not have long to wait. The six-week trial period begins on Wednesday, July 29. Either way, it is an exciting time for Chikara fans. The promotion has always felt like it would play well in a serialized medium, and Lucha Underground has proven that a promotion with fantastical story elements and characters can play well on a week-to-week basis. Either way, this project is interesting, and it will be worth taking a gander at. And with it airing at 7 PM, it at least will have the common courtesy not to disrupt the rest of the night's wrestling action. For the first two weeks of the show's run, one could conceivably watch wrestling wall to wall from 7 PM through to 1 AM with the aid of DVR and video on demand. Forget Mondays. Wednesdays are where it's at.

The End Is Not Nigh, but That Doesn't Mean to Trust WWE

July 17, 2015, 1:00 pm

≫ Next: Wrestling Is Volatile: Unpacking the Situation among WWE, ROH, and New Japan

≪ Previous: Journey into Chikara on Wednesdays, As If That Day Wasn't Already Packed

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Liger's introduction to NXT is not the end of the world, but it's still a dangerous move Photo and Graphics via WWE.com

The shocking news that Jushin Liger would appear at the next NXT live special was warmly received by many fans, but those great vibes weren't unanimous. Liger's introduction into the WWE narrative may seem like a one-time thing, a feather to put in Triple H's cap for when he can go and claim he's King E-Fed in real life, but at least Dave Meltzer seems to think it's a political move. Many observers, myself included, have accused WWE of using the NXT brand to kill the indies, and this move doesn't do anything to dissuade that theory.

Although Ring of Honor is long past its independent status, it's still a competitor to NXT. It also has had a working relationship with New Japan Pro Wrestling for the last few years, one that the company was banking on continuing into the indefinite future. The importation of NJPW talent, and not just the schlubs but big guys like Kazuchika Okada and Shinsuke Nakamura, has been the calling card that it has used to trump TNA and other similar competitors. In case you haven't noticed, Liger has been a part of the Global Wars/War of the Worlds contingent both this year and last. He's also been over for other excursions as well. He's very much a NJPW employee.

Having Liger at Takeover on the same day, at the same time ROH is having Okada, Nakamura, and KUSHIDA at its Field of Honor event seems like a shot across the bow. People are worrying that this change in direction means that WWE will be attempting to block ROH and independent promotions, both in North America AND the United Kingdom, from using NJPW talent so that they can exclusively appear at WWE-branded events. And now that WWE has run its first show from Japan to great fanfare, the trend may be to continue. A partnership between the two titans in each country would make a ton of sense from that standpoint.

Sure, wrestling fans will see positives out of this deal for sure. WWE has the widest distribution and the most money behind it to be able to get the word out on these dream matches. It employs some of the best, or at the very least most widely-known, wrestlers in the world. But it's also a corporate entity, and its tactics are reminiscent of how Wal*Mart expanded over its history. Wherever a Wal*Mart had sprung up, the mom-and-pop stores in the area would dry up, unable to compete with the prices (which were deflated due to shitty treatment/payment of workers) and the sheer convenience.

But does that comparison ring true? Is WWE's virtual overexpansion going to do the same thing to indie wrestling as the world knows it? While the strategies may be the same, the wrestling industry does not seem to have the same dynamics that retail has. Boutique promotions can thrive because they provide something completely different than WWE can even dream of providing given its structure, even more so than what mom-and-pop stores or even other smaller nationally corporate retailers can in the face of Wal*Mart.

For instance, WWE would never be able to kill a promotion like Chikara, which thrives on taking undersized wrestlers and making them larger than life via masks and outrageous characters. Even if WWE signs guys like Drew Gulak or Silver Ant or Eddie Kingston, the promotion will always have the base guys that won't draw interest nationally, and the nature of how gimmicks work there will replenish the roster more easily than if it were a straightforward promotion. Women's promotions would be safe too. Local companies would be hurt when their draws get signed, but again, many local companies are the draw in the area over the talent appearing there, give or take a couple dozen tickets outside of extreme cases.

The point is indie wrestling will always be around. People will always hunger for the alternative, even if WWE attempts to co-opt that alternative like it is rumored to be doing with WWN Live/EVOLVE right now. Wrestling is too big an enterprise for one monolithic entity to capture it completely. For that to happen, WWE would have to change its mindset from one motivated purely by profit and instead one that puts the company as stewards of the industry. However, with Vince McMahon in charge, that change will never happen. I also think that even when he passes the torch to Trips and Stephanie McMahon, that mindset will never permeate the company enough for it to be equipped to be caretakers rather than profitmongers.

But just because the indies and other companies will survive doesn't make what WWE is doing any less dubious. If you're skeptical about how WWE's rapid expansion into the second tier of American wrestling will affect the business, then you're totally justified in that fear. Again, WWE is a company that only is concerned with money. If it wasn't, then it would nut up and make its wrestlers employees so they could get basic rights afforded to that designation like healthcare. It would drastically reduce the number of dates it has in order to lessen injuries. It would work with more companies than what would be convenient for it or inconvenient for its competitors. And for crying out loud, the television product would be drastically altered.

As for ROH, its future without the NJPW wrestlers becomes a bit more dubious, but it's survived this long and actually grown after times when the end was thought to be nigh for it. It will always have its own audience, one that either rejects WWE or has room in their lives for both companies. But that doesn't make these maneuverings any less damaging to the former King of the Indie Promotions. Wrestling is a cutthroat business, as the folks at Sinclair are finding out as they venture into choppier waters. But the nature of business doesn't necessarily make what is happening to the company any easier to swallow.

Wrestling Is Volatile: Unpacking the Situation among WWE, ROH, and New Japan

July 20, 2015, 5:30 am

≫ Next: The Gentlemen's Club Will Deign King of Trios With Its Presence

≪ Previous: The End Is Not Nigh, but That Doesn't Mean to Trust WWE

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Dispute over Owens' image and likeness may be at the heart of the current heat between ROH and WWE Photo Credit: WWE.com

Life comes at you fast in wrestling, and no bigger or better example came starting on Thursday night, when Jushin "Thunder" Liger was announced to wrestle at NXT Takeover: Brooklyn. The move seemed to be fraught with political implications, especially given Ring of Honor's working relationship with New Japan Pro Wrestling. As it turns out, the move was politically tinged, but not the way that was thought in regards to the NJPW connection.

NJPW held a press conference Saturday regarding the kickoff of its G1 Climax Tournament. If you want the most important coverage of it, read, the fashion report, read Shelly Deathlock's and Tom Blargh's recap at Wrestling on Earth. Anyway, aside from Bad Luck Fale cosplaying as Oddjob and Michael Elgin wearing a suit that was way too big for him, the biggest news that came out of that press conference was all about NJPW's global expansion. ROH officials can breathe a sigh of relief because the working relationship between the two companies will continue. Additionally, the note about working with NXT in early reports from that conference were false at worst and a mistranslation at best. NJPW announced that that it wanted its own NXT.

However, that news doesn't mean that WWE isn't necessarily maneuvering against ROH right now. Dave Meltzer has been making cryptic comments on the Observer message board about WWE's desireto squeeze ROH out of its normal arenas for the NXT brand. Of course, with news that Takeover: Brooklyn sold out of its allotment of tickets in seconds at the fuckin' Barclays Center, NXT doesn't need to run in places like Terminal 5 in New York. Reports of how many tickets were sold for the event are varied. The initial report was 5,000 tickets sold, but then upper-level tickets started going on sale, which would put that Takeover attendance number ahead of nearly every indie wrestling event ever. And even if WWE and NJPW don't plan on having a working agreement, NXT booking Liger in opposition to a ROH show with NJPW stars on it is a heavy shot, even if it's being framed as William Regal innocently ringing and old friend to come work a big show.

The WWE brand, even its developmental/premium brand is stronger than anything else on the continent of North America north of the Rio Grande River right now. So why would WWE officials necessarily care about a company it dwarfs in both revenue taken in and attendance? Merchandising. It always comes down to merchandising. Back in May, ROH unveiled plans on releasing a Kevin Steen action figure. By this time, Steen had already transformed into Kevin Owens, and WWE had already introduced him onto the main roster in a feud with John Cena. ROH still had rights to Steen's image rights, however, because of a licensing deal that may or may not even have been legal. Obviously, people in WWE flipped their shit at another wrestling company using the image and likeness of a wrestler on its own roster to make money. Of course, the important part in the whole thing is that Steen/Owens gets paid for his image and likeness, but in dealings between corporations, you know that the actual person is the least of anyone's concerns. Capitalism, baybay!

It bears to be mentioned that while ROH, the wrestling company, is small potatoes compared to WWE, the parent company, Sinclair Broadcasting Group, is a veritable giant. And for all political bullshit around WWE and its conservative leanings, it looks like the damn Green Party compared to the groups that SBG has donated to. WWE may not be the good guy in this scenario, but ROH's backing makes it more heel than face as well. But when corporations do battle, rarely does a party worth rooting for emerge. So basically, the licensing move on Steen and others is another dastardly corporate tactic.

But again, SBG is a larger corporate entity, but ROH is a smaller arm. The larger pissing match between WWE and ROH's powers that be will only end up screwing the talent. One of WWE's rumored reactions was to inquire about making WWN Live and EVOLVE its indie wrestling arm where it could vet wrestlers without the pesky problem of licensing deals from other national promotions like ROH and TNA. So in effect, ROH wrestlers may end up getting squeezed out of chances to work for WWE if this escalates even further. WWE is the only domestic wrestling outlet that pays the kind of money commensurate with the fame of being a pro wrestler. So, as with any pissing match between giant entities, the rank and file gets screwed. ROH will survive as long as SBG empties its deep pockets to keep it. But when given a choice between staying in ROH and going to NXT with the promise of making John Cena money, hell, even Kevin Owens money, what would the average wrestler do?

All in all, the situation is murky with no real good guys outside of the rank and file. It's easy to marginalize groups, especially ones headed by easily hateable entities like Vince McMahon or SBG. But if I were a wrestler, I'd be worried right now. It's a time of great upheaval, even if the longer term endgame may have some richer promises for everyone involved.

The Gentlemen's Club Will Deign King of Trios With Its Presence

July 20, 2015, 9:30 am

≫ Next: Drew Galloway Has Been "Indefinitely Suspended" by EVOLVE

≪ Previous: Wrestling Is Volatile: Unpacking the Situation among WWE, ROH, and New Japan

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The Gentlemen's Club is in, fellas Graphics via CHIKARAPro.com

Squad number 10 for this year's King of Trios tournament represents another Challenge of the Immortals outfit. The Gentlemen's Club, headed up by possible future retiree Chuck Taylor, will send a delegation to the annual most-populated tournament in pro wrestling. Joining Taylor will be the indomitable mat technician Drew Gulak and earth elemental Swamp Monster. The odd man out in this quartet will be Orange Cassidy, but my guess is he'll need time to sleep it off like he did during last year's landmark comedy atomico between the Club and the Submission Squad.

The Club will probably not be a threat to win. It's not the kind of team built to make a long run into the tournament like Taylor's old group, Team FIST. FIST won the whole thing in '09, defeating Bryan Danielson, Claudio Castagnoli, and Squire Dave Taylor in the final. That tournament seems like two lifetimes ago. While Taylor's new trio probably won't win, they will be entertaining. They join the Bullet Club, Team Lucha Underground, Team Fight Club Pro, Team Attack!, the Blue World Order, Devastation Corporation, Dasher's Dugout, and the United Nations.

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Drew Galloway Has Been "Indefinitely Suspended" by EVOLVE

July 21, 2015, 5:30 am

≫ Next: I Listen So You Don't Have To: Art Of Wrestling Ep. 259

≪ Previous: The Gentlemen's Club Will Deign King of Trios With Its Presence

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Galloway gone from EVOLVE indefinitely Photo Credit: WWE.com

Drew Galloway has seen a career resurgence since leaving WWE. He started out in the big company as the "Chosen One" and looked to have a bright career, but whatever forces conspiring against him, be it fate or political, ended up devaluing his role to "comedy jobber" in 3MB. Sure, it was an entertaining role for him, but it wasn't one that allowed him to show off all his strengths. When he was released, he started taking indie dates both in his native Scotland/other parts of the United Kingdom, and here in America. Perhaps the most important of these promotions has been EVOLVE. Galloway was given highlight matches and was able to unify both the EVOLVE and Open the Freedom Gate Championships.

Then, on July 10, he dropped both titles to Timothy Thatcher. The next night, after beating Trent?, he was jumped by several members of the Premiere Athlete Brand. The below video details what happened:

Okay, so if you attack a non-combatant with a fuckin' piledriver, it's okay, but graze an official and you're gone. Of course, this isn't the first time the super-technical nature of EVOLVE has been used to send someone away for a bit. If you remember, both Brodie Lee and Jon Moxley were "banned from EVOLVE" for beating the shit out of each other with chairs and other plunder at EVOLVE 4. Semantics of why Galloway was "suspended" aside, the move appears to be a way of writing him out of the continuity. If you believe the rumblings, WWE and WWN Live are about to announce a partnership any day now. If that happens, Galloway cannot be anywhere near the EVOLVE brand on account of his pesky employment status with TNA. Of course, the move could have been made for countless other reasons as well. The important thing here is that Galloway will be sitting out of EVOLVE shows for awhile.

From a creative standpoint, the departure is a shame, because Galloway's methodical in-ring style appeared to be a great fit in the company. By placing Thatcher, Drew Gulak, Biff Busick, and Chris Hero in marquee positions, the EVOLVE brand has pretty much established itself as the promotion for people who love grappling, old-school psychology, and British influences. Galloway may not have been as stone-dedicated to the World of Sport as Thatcher, but he was versatile enough to play along and still have time to mix it up with the Johnny Garganos of the world. His departure also drains EVOLVE of some star power, but I'm sure the collective will get by.

I Listen So You Don't Have To: Art Of Wrestling Ep. 259

July 21, 2015, 7:00 am

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Team Tremendous comprised a portion of Cabana's latest live podcast 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: 259 (July 15, 2015)
Run Time: 1:09:17
Guests: Nick Gage (6:44); Rich Palladino (18:13); Team Tremendous (29:39); Steve “The Turtle” Weiner (42:11); Joey Ryan (50:34)

Summary: After a recent show in Providence, RI, Colt Cabana recorded a podcast in front of a live crowd. He opened with Gage, who talked about bouncing in Fort Myers, FL, and his time in prison. Palladino shared highlights of a 22-year ring announcing career, including being ringside for the infamous New Jack-Mass Transit incident. Team Tremendous talked about the origin of their gimmick and time in WWE developmental. Weiner did some impressions and shared a behind-the-scenes Wrestling Road Diaries memory. The main event spot was reserved for Ryan, who revisited TNA Gut Check, talked about being based in LA and modeling, went at length about being in a Mountain Goats music video, got into the gross things he does with Blow Pops and smoking for Lucha VaVOOM.

Quote of the week: Gage: “I’m a strong believer that everything happens for a reason, and (prison) is probably the best thing that ever happened to me. Because in prison, you got a lotta time to reflect, you know what I’m saying? So I just reflected, ‘God damn, I’m in a good space right now.’ Hit the weights hard in there and that really changed my whole mental mindset. And I’m really focused. When I was in, locked up man, this is why I have a strong bond with my fans, man, because they all were shooting me letters in there for four years saying, ‘Stay strong, keep your head up.’ And that’s why when I go to these shows and I tell my fans, ‘Man, I do it for you guys.’ I love my fans, man. That’s why I do this shit. Just for my fans, man.”

Why you should listen: This episode is worth it for Ryan’s Chavo Guerrero Sr. story alone. Gage speaks with blunt force honesty in a delightful accent. Once Palladino lets on he was ringside for the Mass Transit debacle, it seems like less of a retread from when Cabana interviewed New Jack. Team Tremendous is a delightful interlude. And Cabana has really honed the live episode experience so the home listener doesn’t feel they’re missing something significant.

Why you should skip it: As is the norm with these panel episodes, there’s not nearly enough time given for most of the guests. That’s a problem not just because it robs us of full-hour treatment for interesting figures, but in order for Cabana to get as much meat as he can out of a brief chat, he spends little time offering or probing for context that might help fans unfamiliar with the subjects better understand the stories.

Final thoughts: Each live show has its drawbacks, but this is miles better than the recently released episodes Cabana recorded on WrestleMania weekend, and I suggest it’s better than what we’re due to get coming out of his month at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, which as fun as they might be for the local live audience, represent a low point of the Art Of Wrestling rotation.

Der König des Terzettes Ist in Namen der Bruderschaft

July 21, 2015, 8:30 am

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JA! Graphics via ChikaraPro.com

Five years ago, the Bruderschaft des Kreuzes team won King of Trios to great fanfare. Of course, that team no longer can exist in Chikara; Tursas is "dead," Ares is enjoying the retired life, and Claudio Castagnoli has disappeared into the aether, although some dude named Cesaro in WWE looks an awful lot like him and uses all his moves. Weird. That version of the group was dispersed into seeming oblivion at High Noon, but it returned when The Flood called all the former Chikara big bads in an attempt to wipe the promotion off the face of the earth.

Those waters have receded, but the reformed BDK has remained as part of the narrative, mainly as competitors in the Challenge of the Immortals. Team captain Jakob Hammermeier was savvy enough to keep his band of marauders together in the drafting process. Of his soldiers, Hammermeier selected Nøkken and Soldier Ant to flank him in this year's tournament. Both are among Chikara's most dominant forces. Whatever zombification process Soldier Ant went through has made him nigh impervious, and Nøkken exemplifies the word HOSS.

While the BDK isn't as prominent in the narrative this year as it was when the group won the whole thing in 2010, this trio remains a dark horse to win it all. After all, it contains Soldier Ant, a linchpin to the Colony's story this year. A showdown with the assumed Battle Hive team may be in the cards. Of course, that matchup will only be one piece of the Colony's puzzle, as Silver Ant's assimilation into the Arcane Horde is starting to take his mind. This theme of Ants Divided in Chikara ever since the 2012 Trios tournament has really run deep. Will it ever be concluded satisfactorily?

Either way, the BDK will join the Bullet Club, Team Lucha Underground, Team Fight Club Pro, Team Attack, the Blue World Order, the Devastation Corporation, Dasher's Dugout, the Snake Pit, the United Nations, and the Gentlemen's Club in this year's fray. Four more teams are left, and I assume three of them will represent the Arcane Horde, Battle Hive, and Crown and Court respectively. The fourth and final team to be announced? Well, I figure that will be the mic-drop of announcements. I'm leaning towards a Kondron-led team of misfits, but I'm hoping for the return of THE SUBMISSION SQUAD. But either way, it ought to be interesting.

Becky Lynch and Paige Have History

July 21, 2015, 10:00 am

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Lynch (c) and Paige (r) have a longer history than what their current partnership suggests Photo Credit: WWE.com

The NXT Women's Invasion on RAW has started off pretty nicely. Becky Lynch, Charlotte, and Sasha Banks all got to be introduced with great fanfare. Charlotte holds two tapout victories over Brie Bella, and women within this feud framework have gotten to have a lengthy pay-per-view match and two double-segger wrestling contests on RAW within the span of two days. Of course, the whole thing isn't without its problematic elements, but so far, the sailing has been mostly smooth. However, many people were surprised that Lynch got the call-up despite her relative recent debut in the NXT women's division. Of course, Bayley might have been in that slot had she not suffered an arm injury, but at the same time, Lynch's call-up to be aligned with Paige makes all the sense in the world, and not just because she has the potential to be the best of the nine current wrestlers involved in this feud in the ring given her storied history.

Once upon a time, before Paige was Paige and when Becky's surname was Knox and not Lynch, the two were familiar with each other in the land of SHIMMER. In fact, they were best buds. Knox, for whatever reason at the time, was managing Britani Knight and her mum, the cantankerous Sweet Saraya Knight. The Knight Dynasty had come to American shores to take SHIMMER by storm, although only one of the members of the group was out to take things seriously. I'll leave you to figure out which one of that trio fit that description from the video below:

As it turns out, Lynch and Paige have always had that unspoken bond with each other, and that bond was forged in the desire to party the F down, my brothers and sisters. The juxtaposition of them dancing and carrying on against Mama Knight's trademark yelling at random fans at ringside was just fantastic, and of course, it was the spark that led to the Knights turning against each other. Of course, the turn and subsequent feud wasn't happenstance; it was a great way to bid farewell to the younger Knight as she was off to join the WWE via its developmental program. Knox would follow some time after and become Becky Lynch. As for Mama Knight, she'd go from whipping her daughter around the ring to settling old scores with Cheerleader Melissa and capturing the SHIMMER World Championship.

Of course, Paige and Lynch recreating the above scene might not work within the context of their ongoing tripartite feud against Team Bella and Team BAD, but it provides a keen look into how far the roots of pro wrestling can reach. Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens can be destined to do this forever based on a recognized but explicitly unspoken history. Maybe WWE should call up Dave Prazak and see about using some of that footage to show that Lynch and Paige have always been the best of buds.

A tip of the hat to Jen Logsdon for sharing this video on Twitter!

Your Daily Second Tier Wrestling Promotion News Dump

July 21, 2015, 11:30 am

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Sabin appears at the heart of the latest promotion-to-promotion pissing match Photo Credit: Lee South/ImpactWrestling.com

The Wednesday night wrestling promotions are nothing if not interesting lately. Ring of Honor has been in the news mostly for its battles with WWE vis a vis the NXT brand. TNA is always in the news mostly for negative reasons, and while Global Force Wrestling doesn't have TV yet, it feels like it belongs with this group of promotions that include Lucha Underground and the aforementioned NXT. And as always, the current news cycle keeps on churning.

First up, ROH has opened up a new front on its battle against all comers, this time against GFW. Both companies are running shows this Friday. ROH will be presenting Death Before Dishonor XIII on pay-per-view, while GFW will be running its first set of television tapings. The problem here stems from a local Las Vegas ad for the tapings that featured ROH contracted wrestlers. According to The Site That Shall Not Be Linked (aggregated by WrestleChat), ROH has sent a cease and desist letter to GFW over advertising those wrestlers, which I'm guessing is why Chris Sabin was mysteriously pulled from the events. He was scheduled to partake in the Tag Team Championship tournament for GFW alongside fellow Alex Shelley-tag partner-haver KUSHIDA. The delightfully trolling tag team will be scuttled for now, and KUSHIDA will wrestle in the Next*Gen Championship Tournament instead. As for Sabin, he was introduced as the third member of the greater stable featuring Frankie Kazarian and Christopher Daniels, but he also, to the best of my knowledge, had not appeared for ROH since being introduced.

Of course, it wouldn't be a newsy kind of day if it didn't have more rumblings about why WWE is mad at ROH. The main reason seems still to be the licensing deal that it had Kevin Steen sign before he became Kevin Owens, and the ancillary reason appears to be that it went and got on national cable television at the same time as NXT airs first-run live on WWE Network. Now, according to Konnan via the MLW Podcast, WWE is also mad at the company for starting the trend of holding shows WrestleMania weekend in or near the host city, and furthermore, it's furious that it was able to book its Supercard of Honor next year IN Dallas instead of in a fringe suburb. On one hand, Konnan isn't the most reliable source for these kinds of things, but on the other, it totally makes sense. WWE doesn't want its Axxess nut to get busted, and ROH, EVOLVE, and WrestleCon eat into that ancillary income.

It's not to say that I necessarily agree with WWE's issue here. For one, if you're in town for Mania, you're already dropping big bucks on tickets and possibly other stuff too. Axxess is an all-day thing anyway, and one can certainly hit up the fan-festival and still have time and money to go hit up the various shows going on at night. WWE certainly has the right to want all the revenue from that weekend, but it feels like the height of greedy, scummy capitalism to shut everyone else out, especially when Mania has become a tentpole not only for WWE's year, but for wrestling's year in total. Plus, it's not like WWE hasn't engaged in a similar tactic. Survivor Series was created as a "fuck you" to Jim Crockett Promotions to attempt to muscle it out of pay-per-view. While Starrcade remained the flagship event for JCP and later World Championship Wrestling, the implementation of Survivor Series caused it to shift from Thanksgiving weekend to December. It was far more malicious and way more effective than anything ROH is doing with its business strategy. But then again, I guess if you want to operate in America, you need to be prepared to swim in the shark-infested waters of capitalism.

Speaking of being ill-equipped to handle capitalism, TNA's making the news for reasons that don't involve conflict with other companies, but rather inability to pay its employees once again. Again, thanks to WrestleChat for aggregating this from The Site That Shall Not Be Linked, TNA is dropping all its guaranteed contracts excepting maybe the bigger names like Kurt Angle and Jeff Hardy and replacing them with per-appearance deals. The old contracts had monthly guarantees, which was great if a wrestler didn't have a storyline going for him or her or got hurt. Now, payment will hinge directly on their usage, and this has justifiably made the talent upset. Of course, this move could end up being another sign of TNA's impending demise, but if one is to be real about the whole thing, as long as the company has television, it will continue to draw interest from people to work for it, no matter how shitty the front office gets about payment. Rumors are abounding that Billy Corgan is trying to use his connections to get a soft landing spot for the promotion on the Chicago-based WGN Network once the Destination America deal expires in September, but those rumors have been denied.

No matter how bleak the outlook is for wrestling right now, you can't say it's at a lack for happenings and a-doings. I suspect by this time next week, Triple H will have sent a tank to ROH headquarters with the Four Horsewomen crotch-chopping and demanding access. Either way, the Wednesday night scene might be more interesting not only on-camera than WWE's RAW narrative, but also in the news department. I mean, have you been paying attention to the tea leaves lately? It's all "Kevin Dunn is sabotaging NXT talent" and "Kevin Owens' push was dropped because of John Cena merchandise sales dipping." It's depressing.

The Revolution Will Be Impossible As Long As Vaginas Are Heel Traits

July 21, 2015, 1:00 pm

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Cherry Bomb can be heeled in so many other ways that don't involve her private parts Photo Credit: Scott Finkelstein

The current "Divas Revolution" on RAW has been analyzed to death for the last nine days since Sasha Banks, Becky Lynch, and Charlotte all were formally introduced as main roster members, and for good reason. Women in wrestling have always gotten a short shrift compared to me, especially in the last 17 years or so. Even when the then-WWF had its serious flirtations with big-time women's wrestling in the narrative (Jumping Bomb Angels, Alundra Blayze vs. Joshi Monster of the Month, etc.), it had major problems in other areas concerning presentation of women. But once Blayze left for World Championship Wrestling, the bottom fell out completely. Pretty soon, Chris Jericho was cutting promos about how Stephanie McMahon was disgusting for being a girl, setting the tone for years to come.

WWE appears to be attempting to undo that damage, "appears" being the key word. The Powers That Be in NXT seem to want to treat women's wrestling and female characters with the same modicum of respect that the men have. The main roster future might be a little sketchier because of the continue presence of "The Woman-Hating Woodchuck," Kevin Dunn. Still, the first four shows of this new strain appear to set them on a better track than before. But even if, beyond all logical and reasonable expectation for WWE's status quo, that this "Divas Revolution" sticks (and again, if you have a brain in your head and a sense of WWE's history, you should not have high hopes that it will), and women start to gain footholds in WWE, it won't fix all the woes that befall women in the wrestling business as long as more promotions than not continue to treat them as heels by biology.

Tomes could be written about the disgusting treatment women get in Ring of Honor. New Japan Pro Wrestling isn't much better with its most prominent regular female competitor, Maria Kanellis, being used mostly as a prop for Karl Anderson to get a distracting boner. TNA still runs cheap, exploitative gimmicks like The Dollhouse that runs counter the attention it gives to women's wrestling. Female managers being set up clearly as non-competitors by companies are still fodder for taking big moves under the guise of babyface retribution, not dissimilar to the actions of Drew Galloway featured on his "suspended from EVOLVE" video reel against Andrea, aka the former Rosie Lottalove, and So Cal Val.

But the latest piece of most damning evidence that women's biology is used against them as a character trait came from Saturday's House of Hardcore show, where Tommy Dreamer took the microphone to deliver these gems against Cherry Bomb:

"Normally I'd pick you up and show everyone your disgusting vagina and then pile drive you" - Tommy Dreamer, just now, for real in real life

— Danielle Matheson (@prograpslady) July 19, 2015

Wait he said 'disgusting vagina' twice in the same promo. WRESTLING 🙌🏻

— Danielle Matheson (@prograpslady) July 19, 2015

Of all the things Dreamer could use to get heat on Cherry Bomb, who by the way, is a double SHIMMER/SHINE Tag Team Champion, the current Women's Superstars Uncensored World Champion, and an unquestioned staple in the women's wrestling scene, he had to resort to cutting a promo on her "disgusting vagina." And it was presented as a babyface promo that got cheers from the crowd. I mean, shouldn't that kind of promo tactic be considered heelish? Not at House of Hardcore, I guess.

The stock defense is "she may have done things to deserve being ridiculed," but the problem isn't that Dreamer promoed on her. He did so using language that set her apart from her deeds and made it so that he was attacking Bomb for the sheer fact of being a woman. It doesn't matter if she's better than Dreamer in the ring (she is), and it doesn't matter if she's more relevant as a performer (she more than likely is depending on how one views Dreamer in the ring as opposed to him as the HOH promoter/booker). She has a "disgusting vagina." That's all that needs to be said to warrant her getting a piledriver.

Sometimes, I don't even know why I wade into the intergender wrestling debate when promotions like HOH still consider women as unable to receive respect because of their genitals. How will the morons in the crowd who eat up this misogyny ever consider Candice LeRae or Kimber Lee or Cherry Bomb herself as equals to men in the ring if they can't even get respect as people? Is it any wonder that when the video of LeRae taking the Lumbar Check goes viral the focus isn't that LeRae took a Shawn Michaels-esque bump or that the move looked fantastic, but that Alexander NEARLY MURDERED her? The disrespect runs deep.

I doubt any changes in WWE will take hold, especially when other companies prove time and time again that they don't really respect women. WWE is not an innovator in most cases; it steals from things that other places do, which is why expect it to be the market leader in treating women with respect is dubious. If nearly every other company outside of women's wrestling promotions and places like Inspire Pro Wrestling and Chikara don't respect women, if they all feed into the misogyny that seems to choke the hearts of various fans in the crowd, then how can WWE expect to change its heart about women? Change can't just be expected from WWE, although the pressure put on the company by important media outlets seems to be working in some respects. It has to come from everyone, from ROH, TNA, NJPW, and especially House of Hardcore. Cherry Bomb can't be painted as a heel just because she doesn't have a penis and testicles. To let that kind of heeling technique slide is to play right into the hands of the old wrestling patriarchy, and as long as that is allowed to flourish, you can expect the Divas Revolution to grind to a halt before the next time Brock Lesnar wrestles the goddamn Undertaker.

Virgil Offers Sasha Banks "Help," Cements His Twitter As Performance Art

July 22, 2015, 5:30 am

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What can Virgil really teach this LEGIT BOSS? Photo Credit: WWE.com

Sasha Banks is pretty much a consensus candidate for any kind of superlative award through this half-year so far. She's been excellent in nearly every match, her character chops have been on point, and she's taken to the main roster pretty well so far even if she's had to share the platform with eight other wrestlers in the same story. She's stood out at every stage of the game, so of course, she needs advice from an also-ran who was basically a running joke ping-ponged between Vince McMahon and Dusty Rhodes, right? Wait, what?

Virgil, who has taken to Twitter with almost as much fanfare as Nick Gage, thought that Banks needed some help, so he offered some via Twitter:

Sasha Banks. Let me know if you need any assistance learning the biz. I am a great teacher #RAW

— Virgil (@TheRealVirgil) July 21, 2015

Unless that lesson is "get a guaranteed contract from World Championship Wrestling and hope the company doesn't book you," I'm not sure what lesson he could teach Banks, who has shown more aptitude for the ring during her days between her Mercedes KV indie run and when she became the BOSS than Virgil has ever. Then again, maybe I'm looking at this all the wrong way.

I mean, the guy often references his 14-inch-long member on Twitter, and he's always pimping the Olive Garden as the highest quality eats. He's clearly working the performance art angle here. Virgil is looking to get those weird Twitter, @dril follows. That's the only reason he could be trying to teach Sasha Banks anything about the business, unless it's to teach her about the perils of navigating backstage politics. Then again, her cousin is Snoop Dogg, so I think she's a bit street-wise. Virgil's just trying to show her his 14 inches, which in any case, gross.

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I Listen So You Don't Have To: Steve Austin Show Ep. 238/239

July 22, 2015, 7:00 am

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Mundo/Morrison stops by the Austin show 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 — Unleashed!
Episode: 238 (July 16, 2015)
Run Time: 1:42:50
Guest: Johnny Mundo (17:25)

Summary: Steve Austin gets a chance to sit down with Lucha Underground superstar Johnny Mundo — a man he knew as John Morrison in their WWE days. They talk about Mundo’s fitness regimen and his time in college before getting into Lucha Undeground: his Spanish skills, working with Prince Puma and how he transitioned into a new working style. They also discuss Mundo’s childhood wrestling fandom, his training (including Tough Enough 3 and time in Ohio Valley Wrestling), what it’s like to work with Alberto el Patron, how and Mundo left WWE and what the future might hold. To wrap up, Mundo discusses his current movie project, acting aspirations and how he fills his free time.

Quote of the week:“I think my work has definitely evolved. And I’ve been doing stuff physically at Lucha Underground that I never even really attempted at WWE, but really more importantly, the confidence is there. I think sometimes when you’re on the road full time and you step away, and you get a chance to marinate on who you were in the ring, the choices that you made and why you did what you did while you were wrestling. And when you come back you have a clearer idea of who you want to be in the ring. And I feel like I have that now with Lucha Underground.”

Why you should listen: Mundo or Morrison, whatever you might call him, is an articulate, optimistic guy who seems to truly appreciate not just his current position, but the many steps along they way and the potential opportunities he might eventually realize. Austin continues to be a strong booster for Lucha Underground, and though his praise for Mundo is effusive, it’s both contextual (in regards to his progress from 2005) and grounded (since Austin specifically explains what about Mundo’s work is impressive). It’s a long chat that doesn’t feel overbearing, and it most certainly inspires interest in Mundo’s career. Beyond that, as Unleashed episodes go, this one is very tame in regards to both language and subject matter.

Why you should skip it: Anyone who doesn’t like Mundo/Morrison and doesn’t want their mind swayed might be better served taking a pass. Likewise, if you’ve written off Lucha Underground as a worthwhile endeavor, then vast swaths of this interview will bore you to no end. But as with the Epsiode 236 interview with showrunner Eric van Wagenen, my biggest problem with this interview is it made me regret all the unwatched Lucha Underground episodes on my DVR.

Final thoughts: If you really want to get inside the mind of Mundo or unpack the foundational elements of his life and career, go track down his Art Of Wrestling appearance. Beyond that, this interview is a great snapshot of an ascendant performer at a crucial time in his career. Austin is the perfect host to draw out those positive attributes, and I wager most wrestling fans are likely to genuinely enjoy this episode.

• • •

Show: Steve Austin Show
Episode: 239 (July 21, 2015)
Run Time: 1:53:49
Guest: Wade Keller (14:35)

Summary: Steve Austin calls up his pay-per-view review cohort Wade Keller of the Pro Wrestling Torch. Before they get to Battleground the guys discuss tech issues, Ryback’s staph infection, sagging RAW ratings and the current Tough Enough season. Ignoring the preshow, they go match-by-match through the Battleground card with tangents into WWE production quirks, Keller’s hope for the quick evolution of the “Divas Revolution,” the role of ringside commentators, why John Cena winning was the right choice, mutual love for The Miz, if a champion should be announced first and why the Undertaker is back at this moment.

Quote of the week: Keller: “They need to get out of Sahsa Banks’ way. They need to get out of Charlotte’s way and let ‘em do their thing. Sash is somebody who will shine and come across as a star and come across as credible and be a huge factor in the women’s division. They need to stop talking about how they wanna revolutionize the division and just start talking about Sasha the way you talk about any emerging star. Same thing with Charlotte.”

Why you should listen: As per usual, Austin and Keller do a great job not only breaking down the pay-per-view, but taking stock of the current state of WWE. Austin in particular hews to the company line, but he also provides sufficient justification for his line of thinking and is careful to present it as the opinion of someone who “had a pretty good run” and not, as Jim Ross might, the absolute truth. The breakdown of the flaws in the construction of the Sheamus-Orton match are illuminating, Keller is on point regard to the infusion of top women and, whether or not you agree, there are plausible explanations for Cena and Undertaker’s Battleground showings.

Why you should skip it: After two shows about Lucha Underground (and one about beer) Austin goes full force in to modern day WWE programming, and that’s a turnoff for some folks. Likewise, there are those who don’t want to hear anyone parroting what might be the current feeling in Titan Towers, even through the Austin filter. And again, as per usual, the chat was recorded before RAW, so any talk of plans going forward from Battleground is premature speculation.

Final thoughts: As per usual (for the third time this post) I dug this show. I don’t consume Keller’s thoughts outside of his Austin show appearances, so everything here is fresh for me. It’s kind of nice to check in with him once a month, and Austin’s show is always a bit more interesting to me when it’s clear he’s at least aware of the current product. Hopefully his endorsement of wrestlers like Banks, Charlotte and Kevin Owens will help those performers’ causes in Stamford. As for if you should listen, this episode borders on essential for anyone actively following current WWE programming with any interest in how or why a show plays out the way it does. If you’re out on WWE, then by all means, idle until Thursday.

An Essay on Selling

July 22, 2015, 8:30 am

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At least vs. Nakamura at WrestleKingdom, Ibushi sold, even if unconventionally Photo Credit: Scott Finkelstein

Selling, or the art of feigning injury in a wrestling match, is perhaps the most important element of any contest between the bells. It is the source of pathos for the babyfaces, and rallies the crowd when the heel is called to do it. Without selling, wrestling is a living representation of a fighting game, only you don't have control over either of the combatants. Of course, watching someone play Street Fighter II has its merits, but the charm of professional wrestling has historically been in its storytelling elements. The hero can't provide catharsis without conflict, and the biggest representation of how the conflict affects the hero comes from damage taken at the hands of the villain.

The art of selling has more than likely always been a hot topic among "smart" fans; I can't say whether or not people writing letters to the early Observer debated whether selling was going the way of the dinosaur or not in 1988. But every year, it feels like someone is making a louder fuss over wrestlers not selling anymore. Any listener of the Ross Report podcast feels that sting in their ears (Hi, Scott!) on a weekly basis. Wrestlers don't sell anymore, or at least they don't sell the way Ric Flair does. I patently disagree with the first assertion, even if it's very much fighting a strawman. But if wrestlers today don't sell like they did in Flair's age, does that mean they're selling wrong?

Wrestling, like any art or sport that strives to remain healthy and relevant, has evolved in its history. Baseball would not have survived had the Dead Ball Era persisted into the '20s and '30s. Cinema might have withered or atrophied had the style of dialogue or shooting techniques remained stagnant from the '40s and '50s. Wrestling has evolved in so many different ways. A match built around endless headlocks would have been riveting theater in the early days of wrestling; when Bryan Danielson and Claudio Castagnoli did the same at Pro Wrestling Guerrilla's Enchantment Under the Sea, it was reviled at first and then hailed as a cheeky troll later. Offense has certainly evolved. Promos have evolved (for better or worse). Why can't selling?

Kota Ibushi has come under fire for his selling, or lack thereof, against Hiroshi Tanahashi in the G1 Climax. I haven't seen that match, but I have seen him against Shinsuke Nakamura at WrestleKingdom 9. It happened four days into the year, and it still cast a long shadow for the rest of the year. No one is going to accuse either wrestler of chronically selling a body part during the match. The shots of adrenaline may have come a bit too hard for classic observers, not the least of which being Jim Ross, who was there at the Tokyo Dome calling the action on the Global Force Wrestling English broadcast.

But both Ibushi and Nakamura sold. It wasn't classical in the least. But they recoiled. They slowed down at times. They absorbed damage and gave it back. It wasn't what one might find in a classic Flair/Dusty Rhodes match, but at no point during the match did I think I was watching a couple of rank amateurs trying to do as many moves as possible without any ear towards coherence or building to a crescendo. One hit the other with a sequence of big moves, and the other one staggered and crawled around until they could hit a counter and recharge. It almost felt like a play on the battles one might find on Dragonball Z, only with big time wrestling moves rather than energy streams and auras.

Of course, the old kind of selling will always have its place, and it will never really disappear. Roman Reigns excels at that kind of thing. Chris Masters/Mordetzky is a, pardon the pun, master at selling a limb. Sami Zayn has rewritten the book on absorbing damage and presenting that residual damage even making his comebacks. Biff Busick, Drew Gulak, Chris Hero, and Timothy Thatcher go all the way back to 1970s England with their takes on selling. But just because many wrestlers today don't do it like that doesn't mean the art is dying. It's just changing.

And just like not everyone who tries to sell the way they did in olden times succeeds, wrestlers who try the new kind of selling will oftentimes fail. Davey Richards, Togi Makabe, Michael Elgin, and Johnny Gargano are all wrestlers whose acumen at presenting their own self-damage is lacking at times. But using them to decry wrestlers today feels hollow, like the person levying the criticisms is looking for a reason to bash these kids today. It's lazy.

Again, the importance of selling (both in its implementation and the times when it is not used situationally) in a wrestling match is supremely paramount. But a stagnant point of view will see fault where none exists. Selling, like anything in a vibrant art, has to evolve in order to stay current. Odds are, if a match makes you feel something, then either the selling done in that match has done its job, or perhaps the observer loves watching people play fighting games on YouTube. Nothing really is wrong with either here, to be honest.

From the Archives: The First Ever Encore in Professional Wrestling History

July 22, 2015, 10:00 am

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Jervis Cottonbelly was part of the first ever encore in wrestling's rich history Photo Credit: Scott Finkelstein

Pro wrestling is an art that dresses itself up like a sport. Many companies, I dare say most companies, try to adopt more of the "sport" ethic. I won't necessarily say Chikara eschews its sporting aspects completely. In fact, the way the promotion decides who gets shots at the Grand Championship and Los Campeonatos de Parejas is the most sporting thing one could find across the land. But it embraces the theatrical elements more than a lot of promotions do as well. Perhaps the best and most recent example happened at Sword of Destiny in Chicago.

The crowd chanted for one more match after the main event, and, well, the people got what they wanted. When you visit a town like the Windy City, where every event you have there sells out in short order, you need to have a special, sweet treat lined up, and what sweeter treat for a Chikara-loving crowd could be offered than a trios match featuring Los Ice Creams? The villainous dessert-based wrestlers teamed up with their way-too-kind cohort in Crown and Court, Jervis Cottonbelly, to take on the dastardly United Nations envoy of Juan Francisco de Coronado, The Proletariat Boar of Moldova, and Prakash Sabar. This match is the first ever encore in professional wrestling history. Enjoy.

Why Card Position in WWE Is Important

July 22, 2015, 11:30 am

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Owens getting a demotion to the upper midcard could mean bad things for him creatively Photo Credit: WWE.com

Recent reports from Dave Meltzer's usual sources inside WWE have come back with distressing news, or at the very least rumblings, on why Kevin Owens lost to John Cena at Battleground and was then deprogrammed from the United States Champion in apparent favor of a Champion vs. Champion program with Seth Rollins at SummerSlam. Apparently "forces" within the company don't feel Owens is a main event player, that he's more like Dolph Ziggler, Rusev, or Cesaro and not like Cena, Rollins, or Randy Orton. My personal feelings that only one of those three names really belongs in the main event mix (hint, it ain't Orton or Rollins), but whatever, in a normal, functional, non-corporatized wrestling company, the distinction between main event and upper midcard/gatekeeper would be irrelevant.

While fans count card position and titles as proof of making it, those things are baubles. Don't confuse me for Vince Russo; those baubles can be important if they're made to be important. However, currency in professional wrestling has always been participation in stories, being part of angles, having a reason for fans to want to get behind certain wrestlers. A good wrestling program has stories at every card position. In WWE, however, the only people who get stories are hot debuts who get some kind of cursory "squash everyone for a month or so" thing to establish them or those who have made the main event. The midcard is a wasteland, and it's been one since around the time the Alliance showed up and pratfell its way into the annals of the WrestleCrap Hall of Fame.

The best example of WWE's misuse of its card position below the main event came with the star-crossed career of CM Punk. Whenever he was in or near the main event, he had actual stories with progression and care paid to their writing. His feud with Jeff Hardy over the World Heavyweight Championship was tremendous television. The Summer of Punk II: Punk Harder had actual gravity, even though it ended with a wet fart at SummerSlam. But the time in between those periods was an exercise in futility, a waste of a guy's talents who could and should have been populating the main event. The most notable thing he did during that period was populate the ring with John Cena when the Nexus debuted and laid waste to everything to end its first episode of RAW.

Sure, Punk was able to lead the Straight Edge Society, which in theory was a great idea for a heel stable. But his two big feuds, vs. Rey Mysterio and Big Show, were indicative of how lazy the writers, producers, and Vince McMahon are when it comes to something that isn't worthy of closing the show. The Mysterio feud basically was built around one gripping segment, when Punk sang happy birthday to his son, and for the rest of the time, it was an exercise in the same "even-Steven," 50/50 win-trading bullshit booking that kills any kind of feud progression when it's the only thing a feud can hang its hat on. When Punk finally got his head shaved and moved onto Big Show, the booking patterns moved from bullshit parity onto WWE's other stock template, "babyface humiliates heel at every turn cuz shrug." Any time Punk was able to get some kind of heat on Show, it was evaporated by the next show at the very latest. Punk wasn't "buried" per se, but the feud was basically an exercise in how to waste a supremely talented wrestler's abilities.

By that time, Serena Deeb had gotten fired and Joey Mercury injured himself so badly that he had to retire from active competition. Punk floated in and out of prominence, even getting sucked into the post-TLC '10 Nexus void at one point, until he finally broke out with his infamous pipe bomb promo. By that time, he was ready to be elevated into the main event after spending all that time floating in the aimless sea of the upper midcard, and the amount of effort put into telling his stories improved dramatically, even if at times, those stories weren't of the best quality themselves. He was important though. He had currency, which was more than could be said for him between the time when he was waylaid out of the main event after the infamous Undertaker feud and before the pipe bomb.

The atmosphere wasn't always this toxic in WWE's parlance. Even before the Attitude Era, when Russo brought in the idea that everyone on the roster should matter in some respect, the Intercontinental Title scene was a good place to be situated. Guys like Mr. Perfect, Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, Razor Ramon, Goldust, Ahmed Johnson, and Jeff Jarrett were treated as people who mattered when they held that title and were situated in a clear stratum below the top of the card. They had stories; they had reasons to be on the show other than wrestling was their job, or in the case of many other New Generation stars, that it was their other job. Booking in WWE was never, ever perfect, mind you. It had a lot of the same problems it has today all through its history, but it doesn't take a blind man to see how importance has dissolved away for anyone who isn't capable of being in the top two or three matches on a given pay-per-view.

The silver lining is that being on that level does not preclude a wrestler from having longer matches, either on free television or pay-per-view. But the nature of how these feuds are thrown together many times brings out the laziness in WWE's booking habits, causing bullshit finishes en masse. It also means unsurety for wrestlers from a month-to-month basis. Sure, Cesaro might be getting all this time to work now, but what will happen once McMahon exerts himself again and Triple H has to step back for political reasons?

The truth is Owens will probably be fine in a macroscopic sense. He'll continue to draw a fat, main roster paycheck, which is something he deserves for busting his ass for over a decade to get where he is now. He'll be featured on RAW and Smackdown, and fans will always support him like they continue to support Cesaro and Ziggler. But the average fan cannot be begrudged his or her feelings of dread on Owens' creative future. He went from wining and dining with kings and queens to eating pork and beans in the back alley in terms of his importance to the narrative, at least seemingly he has.

Those sources could be wrong - they often are (Meltzer himself has said he doesn't report on creative plans as much anymore because they change so often) - but at the same time, the writing on the wall for the first RAW headed into SummerSlam may corroborate those rumblings from Titan Towers. Owens is on the outside of relevance looking in, and a company like WWE only cares about you if you if it thinks you can headline a show.

Pro Wrestling SKOOPZ on The Wrestling Blog; Issue 39

July 22, 2015, 1:00 pm

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HOW DID THE LIGER DEAL GET DONE? Graphics Credit: WWE.com

Hello once again, HORB fans. Good ol' Mr. FLERBMINBER has returned once again to give you all the news your feeble minds and bodies can handle. I give you so many scoops that the Surgeon General has warned against reading my newsletter. Well, that and because I use asbestos fibers in the paper to keep it from burning, but NO ONE ASKED YOU. I bring the thunder like Thor, and I have a bigger hammer than he does too. MY MEMBER IS 16 INCHES; FUCK YOU VIRGIL. People fear me and revere me. I AM THE GOLDEN GOD OF NEWS. Dave Meltzer WISHES he got current insights like I do. I'M THAT DAMN GOOD. FUCK YOU, TRIPLE H.

Of course, I can't do all this by myself, no matter how hard I try. I have doctors working on cloning me, lawyers poring over codes to discern the legality, and engineers building me machines so that my cloning can happen QUICK AS A HICCUP. But until then, I have to rely on my network of anonymous tipsters, emphasis on anonymous. If you want to help me out, and you don't care if I give you zero credit for any of your tips, then e-mail me at ProWrestlingSKOOPZ@gmail.com. Also, if you want the up to the moment news and scoops, then you need to follow me @HorbFlerbminber. If you don't, THEN I WILL KILL ALL THE RHINOS IN AFRICA. Uh, I mean, then it's your loss. Yeah, that's the ticket.

If you want back issues of the newsletter, then you must, and I repeat MUST, repent of all your sins. The only way this is possible is if you send all your earthly possessions to Creflo Dollar. That includes your jewelry, cars, expensive electronics, and money. Then, you must shave your head and wear nothing but sackcloth and Crocs. NO OFF BRAND SHOES EITHER, THEY MUST BE CROCS. Then, once you've repented in the eyes of the Lord, then, and only then, will you be able to purchase back issues of my newsletter. Of course, you won't have any money to buy them, so the whole exercise is moot anyway. Sorry, but you're all shit out of luck, sinners.

This week, the newsletter is sponsored by Crocs footwear. Yeah, I know, I'm shameless. Get over it.

I'm also proud to announce the launch of my new cellphone service, HORB WIRELESS. Are you tired of dropped calls, roaming charges, and wild crocodiles snatching your phone out of your hand? Then Horb Wireless is for you, friend. For the low, low price of $4,800 a year (do the math, jerks), you'll get 30 free minutes just for signing up. That's almost 35 minutes! Plus, you'll get 3,000 yoctobytes of data per month, and I'll throw in crocodile insurance on your phone absolutely free*! Why take my word for it, when you can hear a testimonial from Sam Ureyedriva from Gravity Falls, OR:

I bought the crocodile insurance, but then an alligator stole my phone. They said there's a distinct difference between the two, so I didn't get my money back.

Another satisfied customer.

* - Service charge of $0.99 a month following for insurance.

Remember, leaves of three, let it be. Leaves of four, eat some more.

- Jushin "Thunder" Liger was announced this past Thursday for the next NXT Takeover special happening the night before SummerSlam at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY. The move came as a shock since Ring of Honor has a working relationship with New Japan Pro Wrestling, of which Liger is an employee. The deal was made after Triple H and Vince McMahon took turns texting "Fuck ROH, let us book [Hiroshi] Tanahashi" along with pictures of their genitals. After the 101st text, NJPW President Kename Tezuka and bookers Jado and Gedo replied back "If we give you Liger, will you stop texting us your dicks?"

- The Takeover event sold over 10,000 tickets within 15 minutes of going on sale Saturday. In other news, people are still adamant that NXT is a developmental territory.

- WWE is currently mad at ROH for getting on national cable television opposite of NXT, starting the trend of wrestling promotions setting up shop during WrestleMania weekend in the host city, and having talent sign possibly illegal licensing deals that allow the company to produce action figures well after they leave, as was the case with Kevin Steen. WWE has responded by attempting to squeeze ROH out of its home arenas and scheduling NXT dates directly opposite to ROH tour dates in the same cities. When asked about its tactics, McMahon said "LISTEN, THOSE FUCKERS ARE INFRINGING ON MY PRACTICES OF SHADILY TRYING TO MUSCLE IN ON SOMEONE ELSE'S TERRITORY. NO ONE STEALS MY BAG AND GETS AWAY WITH IT. NO ONE, YOU HEAR?"

- Undertaker returned to WWE at Battleground to set up a feud with Brock Lesnar. Sources say the only reason he came back is that working a couple of matches is the only way he could have paid for his upcoming prostate exam and colonoscopy.

- Taker will also partake in the WWE's next tour of Mexico, stating that the hot Mexican sun feels good on his wrinkled, lizard skin.

-  McMahon has reportedly decided on Undertaker's opponent at WrestleMania 32, and it's, you guessed it, Frank Stallone.

- Sting is also scheduled to wrestle at SummerSlam alongside Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose. However, WWE is holding off on the announcement until it can find SWAT gear that will fit the Icon's unique frame.

- The reason why Kevin Owens tapped out to John Cena at Battleground and was deprogrammed from the United States Champion is because Kevin Dunn doesn't like anyone he feels is uglier than him doing well in the company.

- BREAKING NEWS: Kevin Dunn is the only person in the world that can make Jim Cornette seem like a sympathetic figure. He's also the only person in the world that could make Owens a sympathetic figure to Cornette.

- Gawker Media has recently come under fire for outing the head of the Conde Nast Reader as a homosexual against his wishes. Hulk Hogan took advantage of the distraction and hit the conglomerate with the big boot and the leg drop, and is expected to win his lawsuit against the agency for leaking his sex tape with Bubba the Love Sponge's wife.

- AAA has announced TripleMania will be available on pay-per-view in the United States, giving everyone a chance to pretend they know about lucha for a couple of days before going back to flipping their shit over WWE again.

- ROH sent out a cease and desist letter to Global Force Wrestling for advertising ROH-contracted talent for its first set of television tapings, which take place on the same day as the ROH pay-per-view event, Death Before Dishonor XIII. The letter states, "C'mon, WWE is really bending us over the barrel. Can you guys just let up until we get some relief over here?"

- TNA has announced that is changing all contracts in the company. Instead of guaranteed monthly contracts, talent will switch to a "tipped worker" wage of $5.03 an hour in Florida. They will also put out tip cups into the stands in order to supplement their pay.

- Stephanie McMahon recently stated that WWE could see a "gay character" coming soon and that Darren Young, although gay in real life, is not currently playing one on TV. McMahon stated, "No, if we did a gay character,  he'd be FLAAAAAMING. That's how brands win."

- Daniel Bryan's new book, YES! My Improbable Journey to the Main Event of WrestleMania, has hit newsstands, bookstores, and mobile readers this week. Bryan requested time on WWE programming to help plug the book, but WWE responded by scheduling looped footage of Batista from the SPECTRE trailer.

- Sunny recently remarked that Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch were "buttafaces." She then remarked that her status as "most downloaded woman of 1996" was intact.

- A plane containing Sheamus had to make an emergency landing today in Colorado due to an emergency medical issue. While most news outlets will NOT bring you this news due to HIPAA, I can confirm that the issue was due to a passenger being blinded as the sun brightened Sheamus' skin to unbearably bright levels of glare.

- Wade Barrett, on who his next target will be: "Zack Ryder. Please, let me feud with Zack Ryder. I'm tired of jobbing. PLEEEASE."

- Sami Zayn giving an update on his injury: "Hey, my arm is hanging by two nerves and a tendon now, which is an improvement over the half-a-tendon it was a month ago. Progress!"

- TNA has announced that Bound for Glory will take place in Charlotte, NC in October, and that the company is trying to book Ric Flair's garage for the event. If not, it will have to take place in the Bojangles parking lot on 1407 E. 3rd Street. Dixie Carter knows the assistant manager, and she thinks he can hook her up with some prime space next to the drive-thru.

- TMP, credit has served a day in the drunk driving charges in September, because Nick Diaz jailed for two days. He will also be up to three years' probation and driving under the influence of informal education.

- John Cena appears in the new Amy Schumer-starring vehicle Trainwreck, which oddly enough is not a documentary of his 2010 feud with the Nexus.

- Last week's poll results are in, and well, I can't reprint them because they violate several local obscenity laws, and I am NOT going to jail again. No way, no sir. This week's poll: