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NXT In 60 Seconds for May 29, 2019

May 31, 2019, 6:00 am
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Is their takeover of NXT fully successful tomorrow?
Photo Credit: WWE.com
Mia Yim and Bianca BelAir: both get slightly positive reactions
Nigel McGuiness: notes as the latter comes out that she still hasn't been pinned in her NXTenure
Mia: Cannonball! World Famous It kicks!
Bianca: Legsweep! Double chickenwing! Full nelson!
Mia: Despertion Ranhei!
Bianca: GIRL. UH uh! Bulldog suplex with squats! 747 and a kip up!
Mia: Tarantula!
Bianca: rakes Mia's face across the middle rope
Mia: Series of rollups!Code Yim! Protect Ya Neck!
Bianca: eats it but rolls out to the floor after the impact
Both: fight on the floor
Bianca: Awful Waffle into the apron! Count her out!
Mia: barely gets back in at 9 as you might expect
Bianca: (clearly combining her violence with a temper tantrum) Hammer shots! Biel! Biel back where you came from! BBD!
Mia: (landing so awkwardly everyone notices) Oofta.
Bianca: Alley Oop!
Mia: What's that?
Bianca: It's a powerbomb where I "over"rotate you so you land behind me on your face.
Mia: Ohhh. Okay. Do you know what yoink is?
Bianca: ...uh, what? What yoink is?
Mia: This is yoink. grabs the braid And somebody around here forgot to Protect They Gotdamned Neck!
Referee: Winner!
Mia: throws up the dub and dances as much as the beating she suffered allows Come back some time and I'll tell you about GORSH.



"Earlier Today": Shayna and the Underlings are getting their picture tooken

Shayna Baszler: You know what the difference between last week and Takeover is? Io doesn't get any weapons, and she's got no friends. I've got mine, and they'll be right there with me.

KUSHIDA: comes out to a good response with some chants
Drew Gulak: ain't about that life, starts off controlling things on the mat
KUSHIDA: fails to be able to reverse or keep the reversals on but starts picking it up
Gulak: barely looks a little rattled, then comes back to the middle and eventually gets leverage Half crab!
KUSHIDA: Triangle!
Gulak: Oh, no you don't.
Full Sailors: [respectful applause]
KUSHIDA: Crossface! Switch sides and put it back on!
Both: try to get the abdominal stretch on the other but go in circles
KUSHIDA: Octopus hold!
Gulak: Ankle pick to Trailer Hitch! Gutbuster! New submission!
KUSHIDA: struggling at first Stretch Plum! Sitout hiptoss to the cross armbreaker!
Gulak: Arms are locked!
KUSHIDA: Not anymore!
Gulak: Shiiit. Uhhhh...maybe...ah! Ankle pick to ankle lock!
KUSHIDA: Flying cross armbreaker!
Gulak: See previous!
KUSHIDA: Around the horn Hoverboard Lock!
Gulak: NO!
KUSHIDA: Complete Shot! Cradle!
Referee: Winner!
KUSHIDA: shows Drew 3 fingers, his fake watch and winks
Gulak: smacktalks him from the mat then stands a bit after his protestations with the referee go nowhere
KUSHIDA: continues to note he's won
Gulak: unintelligible -- coward. You're a coward. uninteligible
Referee: keeps them separated and it actually works
Gulak: storms to the back AND THEN



Queen Cathy: Io, earlier today Shayna said you have no friends or weapons in Bridgeportlol, and she's correct. What is your plan of attack going to be?
Io Shirai: I'm not scared of Shayna, and she can bring all the friends she wants. I don't need weapons. I like weapons.
Candice LeRae: I want to pay you back for having my back last week. I'll have yours at Takeover.
Io: Thank you.
Candice: Let Shayna know that, please, Cathy. she and Io leave

Allied Strikers: come out to a decent reaction
Forgotten Sons:
between me and you, the reader, no joke: W H Y
Danny Burch: Woo dropkick! PK!
Forgotten Sons: Tandem uranage backbreaker!
Ryker: gets caught trying to trip Oney after tags were made
Wesley Blake: Northern Lariat!
Referee: Ejection!
Ryker: complains with the Sons but finally relents and heads up the ramp
Street Profits: lay him out and throw him into the RegalTron then head to the ring and help the Strikers clear the Sons
Full Sailors: Thank you, Profits! clap clap clapclapclapThank you, Profits! clap clap clapclapclap Thank you, Profits! clap clap clapclapclap
Profits: stare
Strikers: stare
All 4: start throwing shots at someone on the other team
Sons: pop back up with chairs and show you how you can win a 2 on 4 without it turning into SuperCena BS
Announce: notes the tag title ladder match is ruleless and might turn into an ad hoc TLC match
Ryker: starts recovering then gets jumped again no you're cacklng
Roderick Strong and Some Guy: wave on the Sons
TAFKA rEDragon: lay them out
Strong and Guy: hit Blake with a jumping knee and superkick combo
TAFKARD: Hi/Lo Cutler down
the Undisputed Era: hit their hand sign and pose over their bodies
Some Guy: notices Ryker trying to stir at the ramp's apex and gets a ladder
the Era: all take up a corner and drill him with it, then do so again when he still seems to start stirring
Some Guy: goes all the way up the ladder and has a mic Regal! Gargano! At Takeover? THAT is Undisputed.
the Era: see the headline picture
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California Is Coming for WWE's Independent Contractor Abuse

May 31, 2019, 9:00 am
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California legislation had Vince like
WWE has abused the independent contractor label for about as long as Vincent Kennedy McMahon has run the company. In order to get around pesky things like OSHA regulations and paying out benefits, McMahon has treated his wrestlers, who are functionally employees, the same as someone might treat their landscapers. For reference why that's bad, it's that a landscaper might work on a person's property for an hour tops a week after a short commute to the property, whereas WWE wrestlers work at least four days a week in high intensity matches in most of them traveling long distances on their own dime to each site.

Anyway, the State of California, regarded as perhaps the most liberal/leftist (ha) state in the country, is currently putting a bill through its legislature to halt all of that nonsense, at least within the borders of said state. Dave Meltzer in this week's Wrestling Observer has this item (so graciously screengrabbed by Italo Santana):
So, if you can't read the script on that picture, I will transcribe it:
A bill that could change the very face of pro wrestling contracts, known as AB5, passed in the California state assembly on 5/29. The bill provided specific rules as to the difference between an employee and an independent contractor and would affect WWE, UFC and AEW competitors most likely. It would also affect Uber and Amazon drivers, manicurists and exotic dancers. All people classified as employees would get labor protection, unemployment insurance, health care subsidies, paid parental leave, overtime pay, workmen’s comp and others. The bill classifies independent contractors as workers who are completely free of company control, doing work that isn’t a central part of the company’s business and has an independent business in that same industry. Wrestlers simply don’t meet those standards. This would mean that if talent from these companies perform on shows in California, they would then be considered employees. The bill still has to pass the state Senate and be signed into law. It also could lead to similar bills introduced in other states
Two things to note here. One, if the California state senate passes this bill and Governor Gavin Newsom signs it into law, then that means WWE would either have to shape up its internal structure of how it classifies wrestlers, or it would have to avoid shows in California altogether. Given that WWE has graced the Golden State with so many big shows in the past few years, including WrestleMania XXI and a six year residency there for SummerSlam between 2009 and 2014, skipping California might take a huge chunk out of WWE's revenue.

The second thing is the whole "could lead to bills in other states" note. It could be Meltzer hope-casting his liberal wishes, or it could mean other liberal states like New York, Illinois, and Washington, for example, might end up causing a domino effect. WWE couldn't not run shows in New York, Chicago, Seattle, or whatever metropolis-containing liberal state ends up adopting such legislation. WWE could thrive if kept to states that like fucking over workers like Wisconsin, Missouri, or any deep red state in the South. However, do you really think they'd go without hitting its traditional strongholds?

Even as the United States delves further into fascism on the surface, resistance from the left will continue to fight it and eventually overcome it. That means that reform will come even to the most insignificant corners of the American experience like pro wrestling. WWE won't be able to hide from proper labor procedures for too much longer.
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AEW And Accommodating Neurodivergency

May 31, 2019, 10:30 am
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AEW doing right by the autistic is rad
Photo Credit: @TBroomey
When most people think of autism, they probably think of Autism Speaks, the biggest "charity" that supposedly "helps" people with the condition. What most people don't know, or what they do know and agree with, is that the organization thinks of autism as a disease that needs to be cured, rather than a condition that just needs accommodation different from what people not on the spectrum are used to. Autism can take extreme forms with non-verbal people or other manifestations, but most of the people ON the spectrum just process things slightly differently. They can't handle being in crowds with a lot of people the same as neurotypical people can, or they're more easily overwhelmed by emotions or extreme senses.

Attending a wrestling show live can be an autistic person's worst nightmare with how much the artform relies on big noises, flashing lights, pyrotechnics, and people crowding together to watch the action in the ring, at least for larger-production-value shows produced by WWE or New Japan Pro Wrestling. All Elite Wrestling recognized this and partnered with Kulture City, an organization that is dedicated for making life a little easier for the neurodivergent folks out there. An attendee of Double or Nothing let everyone know what that partnership entails:
Again, not to toot the horn for a corporate entity for doing good things for the right reason, but much in the same way it reacted to an abusive "fan" hurling transphobic insults at Nyla Rose, AEW shows that the company is committed to providing a safe atmosphere for people of all walks of life at its wrestling shows. Right or capitalist reasons, that is a net positive.

The United States Government made sweeping changes to how buildings are made accessible to people with physical differences, but the government and other private businesses have been slow to act in accommodating those with different mental abilities. The fact that a wrestling company is making big waves here when people look at wrestling as such a retrograde activity is impressive. Hopefully other wrestling companies with big production values follow AEW's lead after failing to be the leaders in this department.
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Bully Ray Is ROH's Secret Police

June 3, 2019, 7:20 am
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ROH doesn't act on women being abused until it happened to this dork's girlfriend
Photo Credit: ROHWrestling.com
It's bad enough that Ring of Honor has decided to give Velvet Sky a pity job for the sake of her beau, Bully Ray. I get needing to have strong heels for the women's division, but her stable, The Allure, added Mandy Leon to it anyway. Leon and Angelina Love both can carry the weight by themselves. Hell, I'm sure Madison Rayne/Ashley Lane could be poached from Impact Wrestling easily enough since she's so easy-come, easy-go between there and ROH. Sky really doesn't bring anything to the table except for chemtrail awareness.

If her general unpleasantness wasn't bad enough, now she's getting fans nabbed by security and secret-police intimidated by her boyfriend. Twitter user @xIAMHOLLYWOODx went to a ROH show yesterday in Portland, OR. He threaded his experience here, but rather than link tweets, I will summarize it for you. Basically, during a dark match where The Allure interfered, this fan booed them because they're heels, and he boos the heels. Novel concept, I know, especially since NXT Takeover XXV featured three matches where the nominal heels all got massive cheers. Anyway, Sky and Leon both took it as a massive affront. Sky called him a virgin (real original) and Leon spit on him. The former is heel shtick, the latter is kinda cringe, but hey, you shake it off, right? He did, at least until security tapped him on the shoulder and ushered him backstage where Bully fucking Ray was there standing over him in intimidating fashion. Bully told the guy that he shouldn't "talk down" to the girls. The funniest thing is he said "don't say anything to them that you wouldn't say to your mom," which to me is hilarious given that as Bubba Ray Dudley, his entire shtick was saying the most vulgar, grossest shit to women who were the same age as his mom and younger. Not wanting any static, the fan said "Okay" and got the hell outta there.

Now, it's possible that the guy I linked to here embellished some things, but honestly, a lot of people vouch for him, and you don't have to go far back to see how much of a chode Bully Ray is. But the fact that he gets so mad at stupid things like a Scott Dawson tweet or a fan booing his girlfriend or someone tweeting about his girlfriend on Twitter being a disgrace to the Air Force (Hey Bubba, look up "Tailhook" and get back to me about how the Air Force inherently respects women, okay?). Getting mad on Twitter is one thing. Bringing a fan back for what he probably hoped would be an ass-kicking is another thing. Did ROH do anything about the fans who threw coins at Seleziya Sparx five years ago? Nah, they only care about women when the whiny MAGA CHUD they look to as a "locker room leader" pisses his pants because someone booed his heel girlfriend.

Bully Ray is the avatar for how irrelevant ROH has become over the years. It's sad, because even in the HDNet days when Jim Cornette was trying to hump the corpse of JCP with a roster that was better suited for indie workrate, ROH still had a modicum of dignity. Now, it's sitting back on corny cable networks and in late-night spots on Sinclair stations watching All Elite Wrestling get a spot on TNT. No one wants to stay there; they're either taking the gamble of going into the WWE meatspinner (three of their Top Prospect tournament winners are in the WWE system, for crying out loud) or they're taking AEW contracts. With Chris Jericho still working New Japan dates at a high profile, it's valid to question how much longer that company is going to pal around with ROH before partnering with AEW. I mean, remember when ROH booked Enzo Amore and Big Cass, I'm sorry, nZo and CaZXL, without telling anyone in NJPW? This is self-sabotage not seen in wrestling since Dixie Carter valued Vince Russo more than a television deal on Spike.

Honestly, even if that fan in question was skirting the truth and did verbally abuse Sky and Leon enough that they'd react in that way (and it's possible he did), the fact that ROH decided NOW would be time to take action instead of all the other times in the past when women felt unsafe or offended being at a show, as a fan or as a performer, is hilarious since it was because it happened to Bully Ray's girlfriend. Like WWE, ROH does the bare minimum for women and expects praise for it. It's a shitty situation, and you shouldn't buy it at all.

ETA: According to friend of the blog D., it turns out that the original accuser appears to be 100 percent completely in the right here:As it turns out, Velvet Sky and Bully Ray are both not nice people.
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The Importance of Presentation, or LOOK EVERYONE, IT'S TYLER

June 3, 2019, 10:05 am
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One match back in NXT, and Breeze is a star again
Photo Credit: WWE.com
I know Butch usually covers NXT; he will have a Best Coast Bias for Takeover XXV on the site sometime this week, as he spent his weekend battling all the bees at Petco Park. However, I was able to watch it, and my personal pick for Match of the Night was Velveteen Dream vs. Tyler Breeze. It was an incredible spectacle for several reasons. Of course, each wrestler exudes sexual charisma, and they're both better-than-competent workers of an aesthetically pleasing style of brawling and appealing to crowds. It also was notable because after years of wither and rot on the main roster, only gaining any kind of notoriety for his excellent Fashion Police segments with Fandango, Breeze returned to NXT, reseized his star mantle, and proved to everyone that presentation is perhaps the most important ingredient to fan connection.

I'm not going to pretend that NXT booking is perfect like some people. Paul Levesque has his flaws, seen time and time again with him allowing heel title reigns to fester until an inevitable injury or call-up situation truncates the end of a feud. Pretending he'd be a panacea for the main roster is foolish since he already has input there, and unlike some idiot writer who cycles in and out within a period of three months, he probably has the power to influence Vince McMahon. That being said, it would be unfair to call NXT booking "only" better than the main roster, which would be damning with faint praise in the worst way. NXT can stand on its own, which is probably why out of 26 Network specials (ArRIVAL through Takeover XXV), the worst one could probably be described as merely average. A large part of that is presentation.

NXT has a wide roster of bodies to cycle in and out, but the ones that make it to Takeover are protected, given interesting stories, and get to strut their stuff in ways that make them look important, not as gristle in the great wheel that serves only the McMahon family. It's why Tyler Breeze could be a Championship-level star in NXT and be stuffed in the proverbial school locker that is Main Event on the main roster, and it's why he could walk into a NXT TV taping, get on the microphone, and challenge Dream for the North American Championship to the adoration of fans rather than bafflement. NXT did him so well, right from the opening lines of his entrance music that call DIRECT attention to him.

Main roster WWE shows the importance of presentation as well, but it is reserved for a select few people who aren't in the McMahon-Levesque Family. If you go by crowd reactions to guys like Roman Reigns or John Cena, you're missing the bigger picture in that a handful of the hoarily-vocal minority doesn't represent how they're generally received. Reigns, Cena, Charlotte Flair, Alexa Bliss, Ronda Rousey, Randy Orton, and to an extent, Daniel Bryan, Becky Lynch, AJ Styles, and Seth Rollins are all treated as big deals who get to be important players. While that seems generally like the accepted amount (even discounting that Orton is on a lessened schedule and Cena is EXTREME part-time anymore) and similar to NXT, it bears repeating that main roster WWE has over five times the total minutes to fill with first-run content compared to NXT, and that's not even counting the Saudi Fuck Money shows. It also bears repeating that in NXT, guys who are nominally in the midcard are protected relatively to their position on the card, sometimes even better. For example, Dream won his North American Championship by beating the biggest babyface in NXT clean as a whistle. Granted, NXT's midcard SHOULD be a lot more threadbare than main roster's, but at the same time, it's not. WWE hasn't had an over midcard since the fucking Attitude Era.

Concentrating a spotlight shouldn't be hard to do. With five hours of time a week, main roster has no excuse not to have prominent talent that is over in each aspect of the show. It even has something in house that it can look to as an example. The people in charge of main, not even Levesque, will look at NXT's raucous sold-out arena crowds reacting to everything and see it as something to imitate. The proof is all in Breeze's build and the crowd's reaction to him. It was perfect. He was the perfect opponent for Dream, who, in a company that wasn't run by major Trump donors, would be a slam-dunk promotional ace. It shouldn't be this hard to have a group of people that your core audience at least cares about beyond the tippy-top of the main event and the fucking owners of the company.
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From the Archives: The Greatest Match in Wrestling History

June 3, 2019, 11:00 am
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What a match, what a rivalry
Screencap via F4WOnline
On June 3, 1994, Toshiaki Kawada and Mitsuharu Misawa wrestled the greatest match in professional wrestling history, a contest for the All-Japan Pro Wrestling Triple Crown Championship. That title then was what the IWGP World Heavyweight Championship is today to American puroresu aficionados, a crowd of people that far smaller than today's group that can easily consume Japanese wrestling thanks to social media and streaming. It was the first match to receive the fabled sixth star in Dave Meltzer's ranking scale, a scale that has been devalued demonstrably thanks to his overuse of the extra-stars over five for his Elite buddies. It was a special match then, and it is a special match now in that it was the watershed moment for AJPW, when it really became Misawa's promotion. Granted, many people will correct me in that Jumbo Tsuruta passed the torch a few years prior, which is true. That being said, this match, one in a storied feud with Kawada, was the landmark.

Thanks to an old friend named Matthew Talbot in 1999, I got my hands on a VHS copy of this match despite not having any rare wrestling matches to give him in return (it is called tape-trading for a reason), along with one of the 1994 New Japan Pro Wrestling Super J Cup, won by [REDACTED]. Back then, I loved the match because it had everything that contemporary American wrestling didn't have at the time, the repeating of moves as if they were trying to win the match rather than doing them as a spot, the hard-hitting, the head drops. Now, if I were to watch it again, knowing the history and having grown and rounded my tastes in wrestling, I would love it for different reasons. Either way, it's a match that everyone who likes wrestling, no matter what walk, should watch. You can see it below, but I don't know for how long.

Happy 25th anniversary to this epic match. Rest in peace, rest in power, Mitsuharu Misawa.

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The Wrestling Blog's OFFICIAL Best in the World Rankings for June 3, 2019

June 3, 2019, 1:00 pm
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The quintessential Pride wrestling banner!
Via @NylaRoseBeast
Welcome to a feature I like to call "Best in the World" rankings. They're not traditional power rankings per se, but they're rankings to see who is really the best in the world, a term bandied about like it's bottled water or something else really common. They're rankings decided by me, and don't you dare call them arbitrary lest I smack the taste out of your mouth. Without further ado, here's this week's list:

1. Nyla Rose (Last Week: not ranked) - June is Pride Month, which for those who don't know or who are too ignorant to learn, is a celebration of everything gay. Nyla Rose is perhaps the most prominent LGBTQIA+ wrestler in the game right now, and she posted a cool header for you to use to celebrate Pride in a wrestling sort of way.

2. Orange Cassidy (Last Week: 4) - Cassidy is riling up THE NERDS who think what he does "isn't wrestling." Look, what he does isn't "traditional," but, as friend of the blog Dave E. says on Twitter, he's the most relatable wrestler out there, especially for younger fans who can still tie one on without worrying about getting babysitting.

3. Candice LeRae (Last Week: Not Ranked) - Her run-in during the Io Shirai/Shayna Baszler match at Takeover XXV was the most hilarious thing ever, not because it was bad, but because here comes this waifish lady charging to the ring with a kendo stick and just wailing on two women much larger than her with the most intensity anyone's seen in a WWE ring since who knows when. Like, I'm not sure Randy Orton has shown that much fire in his fucking LIFE.

4. Pizza by the Pool (Last Week: Not Ranked)OFFICIAL HOLZERMAN HUNGERS SPONSORED ENTRY - My family got a pool membership this year, so for dinner Friday, we ordered a pizza to the swim club. Let me tell you, that pizza was at least 15 percent more delicious than normal.

5. People Throwing Milkshakes at Matt Gaetz (Last Week: Not Ranked, Farage Milkshake Brigate Ranked 5) - Some British imports to America stink, like transphobia among the "left" and bland cuisine, but some are really good, like their take on rock 'n roll. Throwing milkshakes at fascist politicians is closer to the British Invasion than it is to widespread TERFism. Gaetz is one of Donald Trump's most staunch allies in Congress, and if him being under investigation wasn't enough, he got fucking dairy-decked. You just hate to see it.

6. Beth Phoenix (Last Week: Not Ranked) - I heard bad things about her commentary from folks who watched her on the second Mae Young Classic, but she was perfectly fine at Fastlane. At Takeover XXV, my biggest complaint is that she didn't talk enough. She's more trenchant than Nigel McGuinness (her note in hip control was way more illuminating to how to frame the art of wrestling than anything McGuinness has ever said), and way LESS extra than Mauro Ranallo. Give me more Glamazon, please.

7. Eddie Kingston (Last Week: Not Ranked) - Kingston won the Glory Pro Crown of Glory Championship this weekend and sobbed like he won the Chikara Grand Championship in 2011. Find you a man who loves wrestling as much as he does. You can't. He's one of the most genuine dudes I've met in wrestling, and even with his flaws, he's worth supporting.

8. Boomer Hatfield (Last Week: 1) - How do you follow up kicking your dad's butt and stealing his face? By graduating school and going to baseball, of course. Note, you cannot wrestle the younger Hatfield at a baseball stadium and hope to win. He's far too powerful there.

9. Kota Ibushi (Last Week: Not Ranked) - Sure, it's not the Okada money gun, but Kota Ibearshi is quite the piece of wrestling merch. New Japan is killing it, yo.

10. Otis Dozovic (Last Week: 10) -

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A Follow-Up on the Bully Ray-Kidnapping-a-Fan Situation

June 4, 2019, 6:30 am
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Bully Ray, seen here in his Dudley days, dug himself deeper with his response
Photo Credit: WWE.com
So yesterday, news broke that a fan, @xIAMHOLLYWOODx, was virtually kidnapped by Ring of Honor security and lectured backstage by Bully Ray, who took issue to him booing his girlfriend and her stable despite the fact that those wrestlers were meant to be booed. Well, last night, this thing took a whole-ass turn. First, Bully Ray himself issued one of the most bullshit responses in history, corroborating the guy's account, and admitting that they kidnapped the dude BEFORE knowing or not if he said anything abusive or lewd to The Allure. The response is here:

A lot of bullshit is heaped in these two pictures, so I'm gonna attempt to parse them.
I never threatened, intimidated or berated said fan.
One, he never said Bully berated him. Two, the mere fact that Bully had "security" (more on that later, that's the weird part) escort him backstage to meet "one-on-one" when one is a dude who isn't a wrestler and the other is, I'd say that's intimidation.
Convo lasted less than 30 sec
Corroborated by the fan's account, who said he wanted to get it over with as quickly as possible.
I even gave the fan a friendly pat on the back and told him to enjoy the show... his response "Thanks Bully."
Again, he wanted to get it over with as fast as possible so as not to get his ass kicked by a (two) professional wrestler(s). Again, this is all corroborated in his tweet thread, and a note, what is friendly to the oppressor/aggressor can be seen as intimidating by the oppressed/aggrieved.
Unfortunately, it wasn't until after "fan" was asked to be "not so rude" , [sic] did we find out the severity of the vile comments and lewd sexual gestures made towards women.
This part is the richest, for fuck's sake. One, this passage is where Bully Ray ADMITS that he just wanted to make an example of someone, anyone. How do you want to act on someone without knowing what the actual deed they did was? Additionally, the fact that he threw it out there and threw in "many other fans" without citation saying he "crossed the line," which could mean anything without context means he is full of shit here.

Secondly, without letting on anything about the circumstances surrounding what this guy did, does anyone remember how Bubba Ray Dudley first got famous? Hint, it wasn't the fucking tables. The dude used to stand in the various arenas Extreme Championship Wrestling would play and graphically and lewdly insult women in the crowd or women related to men in the crowd he wanted to lambaste. I'm talking sexually explicit shit that I would hope his mother would condemn. I don't wanna hear any bullshit about him "being in character" because you can play a heel without telling a guy his mother was sucking dick in Hell. That's grade-A horseshit cheap heat, the same kind of horseshit this response is. The fucked up thing is how much do you wanna bet that if the women involved here weren't dating Bully Ray or Hunter Johnston, ROH's head booker, I'm not sure they would have cared. Again, this is ROH I'm talking about here. They have not shown they care about women until now, and hey, they didn't care when it came to Taeler Hendrix, who accused Jay Lethal of demanding she sleep with him. ROH allegedly investigated this, but nothing as come from it publicly. If that sounds fishy to you, well, you're not alone.

The thing about believing victims is that people like Bully Ray depend on you to think automatically that victimhood is the sole domain of people he regularly marginalizes. So when something like this happens and he has the opportunity to go after someone for what he feels is disrespect, he's going to play games and try to get people to think he's defending women. It's gross and ignores the fact that what he and Johnston did was right. Oh, I forgot to mention. The security guy who accosted the fan? It was Hunter Johnston:
Like this news puts a whole new spin on it, that Johnston wasn't assed to react when misogynist fans threw coins at Seleziya Sparx or when Hendrix accused the company of covering up sexual harassment, but when it's his girlfriend, who allegedly spat on the guy, he gets right up. At best, he's a selfish asshole who only acts when it busts his nut, and at worst, he just wanted to flex his micropenis and take it out on a fan who did show up that no one else seems to be anymore.

And even playing devil's advocate here, even if this fan did make a sexist shitshow of himself at one or both of those Pacific Northwest shows, what they did was tantamount to kidnapping. Like, what if he refused to go? Does this situation make you think they just would've ejected him from the building? It's a reaction that exceeds what the situation called for. If he really was yelling gross taunts at the female talent (which again, ROH has done nothing at all over the years to make women feel safe until now), then an ejection and a ban from the promotion would've sufficed. Somehow, I'm not sure that was the message they wanted to send. Either way, (probably not) right or (most definitely) wrong, they come out of this looking like the monsters they are. Hopefully, any fan thinking of spending money on this clownshow will think twice.
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RIP Lyle C. Williams

June 4, 2019, 8:00 am
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Williams captured wrestling history, including this photograph of absolute titans of the sport
Photo Credit: Lyle C. Williams
Lyle C. Williams, the indie photographer synonymous with Combat Zone Wrestling among other Philadelphia and New Jersey area independent wrestling promotions, died Sunday. He was 57. His loss has been publicly mourned by wrestlers from Kevin Owens to Cheeseburger and everyone in between. In addition to CZW, Williams photographed Chikara, Women's Superstars Uncensored, Ring of Honor, SHIMMER, Jersey All-Pro Wrestling, and so many other local companies.

I did not know Williams personally, but I knew his presence. He was always at the ECW Arena snapping photographs of every promotion that ran there. I have vivid memories of him jockeying for shots, to capture pro wrestling in Philadelphia in its purest form. Even though I didn't know him, the sheer number of people who have come out to mourn him speaks volumes about him, not just his pictures, but him as a person. The CZW Twitter is full of tributes to him. For all the company's faults, they know how important he was to them in capturing their story, but also helping to make the new wrestlers feel at peace.







This sampling is only the tip of the iceberg. Williams was a massive part of the Philly scene, and he'll sorely be missed. No one should die at the age of 57. Rest in peace, Lyle. Rest in power.

If you want to see a sampling of his work, go to his website and see the stories he captured. It's only partial, since he was in the process of uploading stuff before he got sick. But partial's better than nothing.
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The Second Team for King of Trios Returns from Down Under

June 4, 2019, 9:30 am
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They're back!
Graphics via chikarapro.com
Last year, the Australian trio of Mick Moretti, Jack Bonza, and Adam Hoffman, known collectively as the Ancient Order of the Nations, took their fight all the way to the finals before falling to The Colony. Their run was impressive, and they made a lot of fans, but Fire Ant and his young new stablemates would not be denied. Well, they're back again to try and win the damn thing this year, announced as the second team to enter the fray and try to win wrestling's biggest tournament.

Last year's Trios was the first tournament held in the States of which I missed since 2008, the year before I got into Chikara and independent wrestling. Sadly, I can't tell you about this team because I haven't seen them live or on tape. However, the vibe from everyone in attendance last year seems to be that they were among the most impressive teams in it. So if you missed last year's tournament, get hype for them this year, because they have chips on their shoulders and want to win the whole damn thing after getting so close last year.

The Ancient Order of the Nations joins Team Pump (Jordynne Grace, Petey Williams, and Scott Steiner) in this year's King of Trios tournament, to be held October 4-6 at the Goodwill Beneficial Association in Reading, PA. Tickets are on sale now.
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The JT Lightning Invitational Tournament Is Loaded This Year, Guys

June 4, 2019, 11:00 am
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Vega is the headline talent for this year's JLIT
Photo Credit: WWE.com
Absolute Intense Wrestling in Cleveland has had some endurance in the American indie scene. For the first part of the '10s, they made their hay promoting holdovers from Cleveland All-Pro Wrestling, booking hot new indie guys mixed with their own townies, and filling the gaps between SHIMMER dates with their Girls Night Out series earlier in the decade (and in a not so positive light, for their promoter being creepy towards Addy Starr). Recently though, they've made a seamless transition into a new era where it's still the hotness on the indie scene mixed with their own guys (now they have a wrestling school), but they have also perfected the art of booking the weird nostalgia act from the '90s mainstream. So when it comes to their headline tournament for the year, the JT Lightning Invitational Tournament, you know you're getting a field that is more unique than, say, the Battle of Los Angeles but that packs just as much a punch.

This year's field is no different. All 24 competitors have been announced as such:
  • Savio Vega
  • Colt Cabana
  • Eddie Kingston
  • Nick Gage
  • Dominic Garrini
  • Joshua Bishop
  • Tim Donst
  • Danhausen AD
  • Louis Lyndon
  • Flip Kendrick
  • DCR
  • Pat Buck
  • Lee Moriarty
  • MJF
  • KTB
  • Matthew Justice
  • Mance Warner
  • Zach Thomas
  • AJ Gray
  • Swoggle
  • Tre Lamar
  • Marko Stunt
  • Erick Stevens
  • Kid Kash
That field is, what the kids would say, is fuckin' stacked, yo. My one complaint is that no women are in this year's tournament. I'm not sure whom I'd take out, given that the names I don't know being the AIW locals/graduates bring the field some much-appreciated flavor. Maybe sub out Pat Buck for Jordynne Grace, Allie Kat, or Kris Stadtlander? That being said, I want to talk about how good the field is. It has a good mix of deathmatch guys (Gage, Warner, KTB), older standouts (Kingston, Kendrick, Lyndon, Cabana), hot names (Gray, Stunt), and even a feelgood comeback story with Stevens. The bookend of Vega and Kash, however, shows how much of a knack for this kinda thing AIW has. They aren't just names for the sake of names. You don't really think of either guy when you think of dudes coming back, but Vega has kitsch appeal whether in his masked (Kwang) or unmasked gimmick, and Kash can still go as most of these old Southern dudes seem to be.

Speaking of Vega, his match was the first announced, as he'll go up against MJF, who is as close to a riot-inciting old-school heel as the indies and now All Elite Wrestling have right now. I think that's the best possible call for Vega, to put him against a guy that can get him cheered even if he doesn't quite have "it" anymore. Summer is tournament season. Pro Wrestling Guerrilla has already announced when BOLA is happening, and the folks at Scenic City Productions have been leaking names for their flagship tournament for the last few months and are still in the process. However, AIW got the jump on getting their whole field out, and I for one cannot wait, especially since the tournament will be streamed live on FITE TV this year.
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It Gets Deeper: Fan Accuses ROH Wrestlers of Sexually Harassing Language

June 5, 2019, 6:45 am
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Maybe if Bully Ray cares so much about women, he should police his roster's behavior
Photo Credit: ROHWrestling.com
So Bully Ray and(allegedly) Hunter Johnston respect women so much. They respect them HARD, like no one in the world respects women more than them, or at least that is what they would have you believe after their extrajudicial detention of a fan whom they allege of spewing misogynist shit at The Allure. While it's still unsure whether the fan, @xIAMHOLLYWOODx, really went full Republican Comedian on The Allure or if Velvet Sky just has paper thin skin and is having an entire company cover for her.

But with how hard the Ring of Honor contingent is going on how much they respect women here, you'd think that they would run a tight ship with respecting the female fans that attend their shows, right? Well, as one might expect, that's not the case, as @donnatroy recounts in a Twitter thread. She does not name the wrestler or wrestlers who are guilty of yelling lewd things at her like soliciting oral and inviting her up to their hotel room. She brushed it off initially, which I feel was a mistake but it was her choice ultimately, because "it's just wrestling." She has only come forward because of the all-of-a-sudden care from ROH about this kind of behavior from fans.

Of course, you know my thoughts on the matter, that this push is bullshit because ROH has never cared about women and their treatment until it was the significant others of people in charge. I have pointed to the Seleziya Sparx coin-throwing incident a lot, but the company's storytelling has encouraged shit like this. ON that same card where Sparx was monetarily assaulted, they had Cheeseburger come out and force a kiss on Maria Kanellis, and they played it off as a babyface move.

The fact of the matter is that, yes, the treatment of women in wrestling, not just in ROH, but across the board is lacking and needs improvement. For anyone in ROH, especially Bully Ray, who made his bones saying the most vile shit in character to women, and Johnston, who has presided over so much misogyny in the company, to be at the vanguards calling it out is sketchy at best. It would be like WWE firing Big Cass1 because he too vocally supported Donald Trump. That did happen, by the way, which goes to show how many wrestling companies have rotten people in charge.

1 - This is not support of Big Cass, who sucks. It's just pointing out absurdity.
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Twitter Request Line, Vol 262

June 6, 2019, 9:00 am
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Cody's slow match didn't take away from the fast ones, and vice versa
Photo Credit: WWE.com
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 280 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:

I've said it before, and I'll say it again, man, I love being a turtle anyone who says "wrestling today is ruined, the best was [insert year in the past here]" is not a fan of wrestling, but a fan of an era of wrestling. What those people are saying is "Cody vs. Dustin reminded me of a time when I liked wrestling and also when I was able to be sexually aroused." The best wrestling promotions often offer a variety of things for different viewers to latch onto. I still haven't watched Double or Nothing, but I imagine one can appreciate the breakneck pace of the Lucha Bros. vs. the Young Bucks and the Rhodes Brothers' Southern Passion Play. One can like one and not like the other not because one "isn't wrestling" but because one wasn't done well to their standards. But to say a match takes away from another with no context but "it was faster" feels like hollow and bitter screed from a jilted ex-fan.

The ideal number is zero because both companies are backed by billionaires who can afford to provide their supershows to fans at home streaming free of charge. But since billionaires are parasitic and need to suck money from the public in order to feel alive, that will never be the case. So the number is probably 12 for WWE, possibly more if they split brands for the PPVs again (which they should). For AEW that number until they gain momentum from weekly TV is probably four, six after a year or two. But really, it should be zero, because billionaires are parasites who make money without even taking in revenue in this society.

The answer is the cheeseburger, obviously. It's a national thing that everyone makes, so no matter if you're in Nome, Hilo, San Diego, or Bangor, you should be able to find some place that has a decent or better burger. Grilling or frying beef and melting cheese on top crosses regional barriers, and rather than it being something that one region has all the answers to, everyone has their own spin on it that is equally good.

As for internationally, well, it's probably a dumpling of some kind. Obviously, a potsticker is different from a ravioli is different from a samosa is different from an empanada. That being said, if you're in a strange land and need something that's both local and on the safe side, look for the foodstuff that's some kind of cooked filling inside a bready/yeasty dough enclosure.

I was actually thinking about something similar to this the other day, how it's amazing that the classic lineups of various older classic rock bands are all still alive and intact. Like, you can see Van Halen and Rumours-era Fleetwood Mac as remaining intact, although I'm surprised that medical issues didn't claim one of the Van Halen brothers in the '90s/early '00s or that no one in the latter committed murder on another. The huge upset is that everyone in Aerosmith is still alive. Like, Stephen Tyler himself probably should have died so many times that he's got to have the same immortality talisman that Keith Richards and Ozzy Osbourne have, right?

Anyway, my pick isn't with any of those three bands, but with Mick Mars of Motley Crüe, who looked like he was near death in the '80s. Now he just looks like a zombie with a bangs-wig. If you want someone more high-profile, then it's probably Ringo Starr, who famously receded from public life a few years ago, which oftentimes is a precursor to the announcement of a death or a terminal illness that the person didn't want revealed until he was close to death, kinda like how Freddie Mercury didn't publicly disclose his AIDS until the day before he died from it. That will mean either all the Beatles will have died if you believe the "PAUL IS DEAD" conspiracy nutjob theories from the '60s, or that Paul McCartney will have won the Beatles tontine.
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Best Coast Bias: Panama Sunrise, Cleveland Sunset

June 7, 2019, 9:50 am
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Adam Triple Crown
Photo Credit: WWE.com
Even when forced to adapt on the fly into having their 25th Takeover into Bridgeport (last slam on them, promise), Takeovers are reminiscent of the old joke about eating pizza, watching Parks and Rec episodes, or having sex, depending on how ribald one lives their lives: let me tell you about the worst time I [plug in the previous three or one of your own]; it was still fucking good.

It may have failed in delivering the heights of such eternal smark Mt. Rushmore favorites like the Dallas or New Orleans shows, and Stefon had to have been a fan because this show had e v ery thing: crazy-ass car crashes, sore losers getting loudly cheered, post-match selfies, a title change, and, oh yeah: actual wrestling.

In fact, the actual wrestling most on display was shown off in the opener, and if it's your Match of the Night...well, arguments could be made for later matches on the card, but you wouldn't be wrong. In a very nice subtle gesture, both the opening and closing matches featured singles matches focused on breaking down a body part early before firing off the signatures and finisher explosiveness late. In the night's lone titleless match, Matt Riddle got out to a hot start by winning the mat battle before Roderick Strong came back to shove him into the post with both men on The Hardest Part of the Ring followed by a backplex backbreaker variant into the apron. It was nice to see them repeat the mid-ring strikeoff a la Reseda a second time later in the match but with less sauce behind the blows, something immediately noted by Mauro (he, Nigel and Beth were decidedly on point for the evening's proceedings). They got a standing ovation and NXT! chants, well deserved as while Roddy got to show off multiple times during the match ultimately Riddle showed off his fluidity and semi-tragic addiction to naming every third signature of his with Bro in it. Great, great finish as Strong's working over the back culminated in Matt being able to apply but not keep on the Bromission, thus having to opt to land another series of MMA elbows before the finish that set a hard bar to follow for the rest of the night. A title rematch may be in the offering; then again, he may have a larger title in mind to go for given the evening's ending...

1) Matt Riddle d. Roderick Strong (inverted cradle Neutralizer --> pinfall)

The ladder match that followed the opener was full of gnarly bumps, none more so than Kyle O'Reilly's. He practically atomic dropped himself into the side of a ladder that had just undercut him, laying on the mat while the Allied Strikers tandem German suplexed the Forgotten Sons who were holding a ladder almost got it javelined into his school, then Blake powerbombed Kyle into a standing latter, causing Bobby Fish to come off of it and land on O'Reily in a modified splash that also sent a tooth flying. (While the violence was cringe inducing on multiple occasions, Mauro yelling out "Oh, my God! They killed Kyle!" after that last ridiculously large bump did make me chortle.) Jaxson Ryker came out and buckle bombed Kyle into a ladder to begin the portion of the match that showed him neutralizing opponents for all the other teams while the crowd appropriately chanted "We Forgot You!" before getting stomped out and ladder beaten down by his slowly recovering victims. Montez Ford won the day by springboarding from the apron to the ladder's apex and punching Wesley Blake down to evolve the Street Profits into NXT championship status for the first time. Unbelievably weird how out of all the victims the match enduced, it's O'Reilly's partner Bobby Fish who ended up in an arm sling by the end of the night.

2) Street Profits d. Allied Strikers, Forgotten Sons (Blake/Cutler) and Undisputed Era (Fish/O'Reilly) in a ladder match to win the previously vacated NXT World Tag Team championships

I'm not sure how few people bet on Tyler Breeze to unseat the Velveteen Dream; hell, when he landed the Beauty Shot Mauro even blanked on calling the finisher by its proper name. Yet as close as he came with a couple of Unprettiers and supermodel kicks, this match from stem to stern (as coyly teased by the video package) was the Velveteen Dream Show: he came out in the most extra outfit, took the match's biggest bumps, and eventually won his way to a clean victory. It's very interesting what is going on with Dream, who seems to have done a babyface turn in minds and hearts only; he made a limp Breeze take a selfie with him after laying him out across the announce table ("Say cheese! SAY CHEESE!"), lipped off to the referee a few times, feinted limpness to roll Breezus in a late Act III small package, then peacocked away after finally relenting to the crowd's wishes that he and Prince Pretty take a post-match selfie. But I suppose those are the things that have little cherubic white boys in the front row cosplaying the Dream while some of us write about the Experience.

3) Velveteen Dream d. Tyler Breeze to retain the North American championship (Dream Valley Driver -> Purple Rainmaker --> pinfall)



The NXT Women's World title tilt was more noticeable for the post-match than the admittedly good match that came before it: a vanquished Io, still irate, used the singapore cane laid ringside as a result of Candice LeRae whomping Shayna's underlings to waylay Shayna herself culminating in not only God's Moonsault but a follow up one with a chair. That probably means Terry Funk is the Holy Spirit, if church was any example. No wonder Shayna shoved away the referee who checked on her after he handed her her title; between that late-assed rescue and the crowd's hilariously mean-spirited "You deserve it!" chant the Queen of Spades had a right to be piqued. What always stands out to me in Baszler matches is her seemingly inate gift to make even the rest holdier portions of the match kinetic, whether it's doing something small like reapplying a deepening grip on an armbar or doing something elevated like cheating, smacktalk, or posing; she makes vital what could come off stiff or boring in the hands of a lesser wrestler, of which there are many. Perhaps this means for the first time since the epic Asuka/Cross NXTV Last Woman Standing instant classic, we'll get some form of a hardcore match at TO:BK V over Mrs. Goldie. (Ms.?)

4) Shayna Baszler d. Io Shirai to retain the NXT Women's World Championship (Kirifuda Clutch --> submission)

Most on display in the heated main event were the inversions of trope: you would think going in that if body parts were going to be worked over it would be Gargano's arm given the Escape and Cole's leg given his propensity for pump kicks, superkicks and the Floridaized version of the Last Shot. In a brilliant and understated moment, Gargano went for a leaping Owenzuigiri from the apron causing Cole to block it with both arms and both men further damaged, taking a couple beats to sell the damage, then going right back into contretemps.It piggybacked off of Gargano feinting a Superman spear to draw Cole's superkick attempt, then led into Gargano successfully pulling off the signature for a near fall. In retrospect, Gargano spent most of the match wrestling as the underdog and the narrative fed as such - trying to beat Cole in back-to-back title main event matches, going for the Escape multiple times in the opening five minutes of the match, and on more than a few occasions cutting Cole off from higher flying moves by wrapping himself around his foot. Signature moves and stolen finishers fired off down the stretch but it was some hitherto unforseen gamesmanship of the part of the then challenger that turned the tides - Cole gestured for his comrades to come out from the back, causing Gargano to freeze for about :20 between sussing out when the cavalry was coming and if it would be before he could deliver another offensive maneuver. The rest of the Era failed to materialize, and by the time Johnny figured out they had no intentions on coming out he was walking right into a sort of rope trapped version of the Panama Sunset. He kicked out of that but was on the back foot for the rest of the match, and despite being able to put on the Escape again (having had to do a Bret/Diesel Survivor Series '95 fake to set it up) and doing a sitdown pinfall counter to another Sunrise attempt, Cole was able to finally land his Canadian Destroyer variant before taking the Big X with the newest version of the Last Shot. Nigel noted as Johnny came out in his Cpt. Marvel gear he'd lost his first North American title defense, and both he and Mauro called the match over when Johnny's leg gave out on him before he could go to the corner to try and cut off the final Sunset attempt by clutching Cole's legs, something he'd again done to success a few times earlier in the match. In addition to the belt and the Full Sail Triple Crown, it's been a long time in NXT or WWE since someone has had a specialized music entrance (Hustle and Flow's Josiah Williams rapping over the UE track) then gone on to win the match: decent night for Mr. Britt Baker DDS.

5) Adam Cole (BAY BAY) d. Johnny Gargano via pinfall to become the new NXT World Champion as well as its second-ever Triple Crown winner in the Match of the Night (Panama Sunrise -> Last Shot --> pinfall)

It's going to be interesting to see what they do with the men's divisions on the show headed into the 5th Brooklyn Takeover. You could presume maybe a final blowoff to the Gargano/Cole title wars, though Riddle's opening show victory opens the door for the possibility of his elevation. Keep also in mind if the Era's dissension was to be believed beforehand that Cole's victory especially in light of his subordinates' losses opens the door for a possible babyface turn from someone, a possible dark horse bet for those who like to get more bang out of their hypothetical buck. The Profits and the Sons have been beefing all year, with the Sons coming up short in both the Dusty Classic and here in their first title defense. Io's post-match ass whupping was the most noise heard in her NXTenure and should help solidify her into another, tougher title rematch. Keith Lee and Mia Yim's victories on this week's episode of NXTV hint that they as well could be looking at marquee matches come August.

But another delicious slice of Takeover was served, and our stomachs are all the better for it. Hope you packed a snack for Adam Cole's victory promo, because it promises to be wildly self-aggrandizing in all the best ways.
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ROH Responds to Bully Ray's Kidnapping, Doesn't Consult Fan (And More Wrestling Spit Antics)

June 10, 2019, 6:45 am
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Bully Ray allegedly got "investigated"
Photo Credit: WWE.com
If you're a ninny like, say, Vince Russo, and believe that any attention is good attention, well, you must be feeling really bullish on Ring of Honor right now. This past week has been nothing but people showering attention on the company for Bully Ray and possibly Hunter Johnstonkidnapping a fan to scold him for what they thought was ribaldry in the direction of The Allure at the Kent, WA and Portland, OR shows last weekend. Of course, the fan, @xIAMHOLLYWOODx, claimed he was just booing and heckling the heels in bog standard fashion with people around him vouching for the lack of sexism in his chanting. Normally, this scenario is where I would take the side of the women being heckled, except for the fact that Mandy Leon spit on the guy, Bully Ray is a known misogynist on top of other things, and that ROH has never really respected women in its post-Gabe Sapolsky history (and it probably didn't respect them before his firing, but I'm not one to speak on what I don't know).

Much in the same way it did when Taeler Hendrix accused Jay Lethal of demanding she sleep with him, ROH is conducting, or has conducted, an internal investigation of those antics. General manager Greg Gilleland issued this statement, (via Cageside Seats):
Ring of Honor prides itself on providing a fun and entertaining environment for both our fans and wrestlers to experience professional wrestling at the highest level.

Fans are encouraged to cheer, boo, and chant during the show while wrestlers interact both positively and in rivalry, as that is the engagement that makes the ROH experience what it is. Wrestlers interacting with fans is core to the experience, however, under no circumstance should any of our athletes or staff confront or engage fans outside the bounds of this entertainment experience or outside the bounds of the area that hosts this experience. We hold all of our athletes and staff members to the highest standards and, because of the actions over the weekend, we fell short of meeting those standards.

We are still in the process of investigating this matter as well as reviewing and assessing internal security protocols to ensure a safe environment for all fans and athletes. All of our athletes and staff will also be trained and reminded of our policies and protocols for fan interaction and appropriate behavior in all situations.

To our amazing and wonderful fans, we apologize for the matter that transpired this past weekend as it does not reflect who we are as an organization or how we hope to engage with our fans. ROH fans are known worldwide for their passion, admiration, and appreciation for our athletes, and we share this same admiration and appreciation for our fans. We encourage all of our fans to continue attending our events and supporting our amazing athletes in a respectful manner as they have done in the past, and we promise to continue delivering what the fans deserve – the best wrestling and the best fan experience on the planet.
If it smells like bullshit, and it looks like bullshit, it probably is bullshit. Nowhere does the apology name Bully Ray, who orchestrated the whole deal, or any members of The Allure, specifically Leon or Velvet Sky, on whose suggestion this probably happened. And the language, "we are still in the process of investigating," is the same language used when the company released its statement on the Hendrix accusations against Lethal.

And the kicker? This investigation did not even bother to consult the person who was kidnapped and intimidated:
You would think that if you were truly investigating an incident that involved the unethical and probably illegal handling of a non-employee/contractor attending your show that you'd want to interview that non-employee/contractor attending your show. It just shows that whatever ROH is doing to amend this situation or even show it learned something is less than not enough.

Unrelated to ROH but related to expectorant, Impact Wrestling held a pay-per-view event this past Saturday where Taya Valkyrie and a fan got into a verbal altercation. Valkyrie was personally attacked by the fan in question, and unlike with the altercation between @xIAMHOLLYWOODx and The Allure, a bystander caught video footage of it:
It doesn't show the beginning of it, but it shows the fan getting personally abusive with Valkyrie, who held her cool until the dude called her a hoe or something similar (hard to make out what the dude was saying). She knocked the beer out of his hand, which was dumb on her part because it's probably actionable by law even if she was justified, and honestly, he probably didn't need that beer as he appeared to be extremely drunk and belligerent. After she walked away, the fan in question hocked a loogie at her.

Just because the one fan in question in ROH was treated maliciously for what he maintains is innocent behavior doesn't mean all fan interactions with wrestlers proves them to be victims of overzealous and sensitive performers. The video with Valkyrie shows that more often than not, fans, especially male fans who've had too much to drink, can get really abusive, especially with female wrestlers. Luckily, Impact Wrestling did not decide to go all secret police on his ass and interrogate him backstage. Rather, he was banned from all future events, as should be the case for all abusive fans who get caught being abusive. In 2019, the former TNA does the marginal right thing, and ROH can't even be assed to reach that low bar. If you'd told me this would be the case in like 2011, I would have laughed at you.
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The Goldberg/Undertaker Silliness, or Taker's A White Supremacist

June 10, 2019, 8:45 am
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The Phenom(enal Nazi)
Photo Credit: WWE.com
So, if you, like me, didn't watch Super Showdown Friday, congratulations, you didn't indulge WWE's blood money fiesta for a genocidal regime in the most volatile region in the world (thanks in part to the United States, woo!). You also didn't see a shitshow of main event, where Goldberg knocked himself out and then got even more knocked out when Undertaker dropped him on his dome with a much-too-real tombstone. If able-bodied young wrestlers are not allowed to do piledrivers for fear of what could happen when they go wrong, why should a decrepit, fiftysomething part-timer be allowed to do one? But I digress.

The optics of this match, having the most prominent Jewish wrestler in the industry's history, do the job in one of the most antisemitic countries in the world, were already off-kilter. When you factor in that Taker appears to be a White supremacist, well, the optics just damn went and fell off the fuckin' rails. Taker already took the bloom off his rose with his social media accounts, liking boomer memes and following right-wing dillholes like Sebastian Gorka, Dan Bongino, and of course the President himself. However, it's not a recent development, as intrepid wrestling journalist David Bixenspan uncovered this gem of a picture:
Yes, that is a logo for the Schutzstaffel, otherwise shortened as The SS, Adolf Hitler's paramilitary thugs who enforced things like the Holocaust. Known wrestling neo-Nazis the Harris Brothers have the symbol tattooed on their bodies, and yes, they're running buddies of Taker. As Bix has noted, while wrestling is awash in motorcycle enthusiasts, few have ever adopted Nazi iconography except the out-and-out Nazis. Taking it all at face value, how can anyone deny that Taker has now surpassed Dick Murdoch as the most visible and famous White supremacist in wrestling history?

That's what makes Matt Riddle's reaction to the whole thing more disappointing. Granted, it started on a personal level, when he found out Goldberg blocked him on Twitter. I get bitter when that happens too, especially when it's someone I used to admire or follow or was friends with. That being said, his final reaction putting over Taker was, well, a shock in the worst way:
For one, Taker hasn't been a stallion since at the latest WrestleMania XXVI, but that's beside the point here. Taker's legend cannot be viewed without the filter of his fascist leanings. I know people want to beat the drum of "well, separate the art from artist," but at the same time, that's true for someone whose conservatism doesn't involve immigrant genocide or Hitler affinity. Like, if you're Dolph Ziggler, and the thing you bang your drum on most loudly is like tax rates, I can separate art from artist (although in his case, he sucks anymore so). For someone like Taker, I just can't.

Of course, it all makes sense when you look at WWE as run by racists and fascists. I mean, Vince McMahon donated to Trump, took the deal with Saudi Arabia, and runs his business with a ruthlessness that places like Uber can only hope to emulate. OF COURSE he would not only look the other way when Taker wore a shirt with the SS logo, but he probably had a laugh with him about it. More and more, it's harder to look at WWE as anything but a wretched hive of scum and villainy, even as its individual contractors do awesome things like raise money for victims of the Syrian civil war.
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Don't Look Now, but Meltzer Is A Krassenstein

June 10, 2019, 10:45 am
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Dave's set his sights on the President
Photo via @ObserverQuotes
The Donald Trump presidency has been unique for several reasons, the most prominent being that he is the first President to treat social media as his own speaking box in a way that more resembles someone like Tomi Lahren or Charlie Kirk rather than the bog standard politician uses for it. Of course, Twitter has only been around for two sitting Presidents to really explore, Trump and Barack Obama. While it was created during the George W. Bush administration, he didn't really use it the way Obama did or especially not the way Trump is currently.

Of course, using the platform to spew exaggerations, propaganda, and outright lies to further his evil agendas will invite people to reply to him to tell him how wrong he is. The Reply Guy is exactly what the name says it is, and usually, it's reserved for incredibly horny men just never letting a tweet from an attractive woman go by without putting his two cents in, but more and more, Trump has bred a new strain, the professional tweeter who does nothing but reply to his inane shit. The Krassenstein Brothers, Eugene Gu, Tony Posnanski, and several others have taken to replying to Trump tweets to, in vain, tell him he's an idiot. As of last week, a new entrant dove into the fray, and his name is Dave Meltzer:
Meltzer is known for a lot of things: journalist, historian, critic, rape apologist, member of the New Japan and All Elite Wrestling payrolls. Now he can add Trump Reply Guy to his resume.

Of course, Meltzer is not wrong here. Obviously, facts and knowledge have never been Trump's strong suit, but that's not the point here. The implications of Meltzer joining the Krassensteins et al. are staggering. Will Meltzer, who is about as Hillary Man as you can get in pro wrestling, fully embrace his new calling? He's not above serially calling people out, as his Twitter account is 90 percent him quote-tweeting people who try to call him out on his shit. The wrestling angle here is palpable as well, as Trump is a WWE Hall of Famer. Meltzer has been growing sassier and sassier on social media regarding WWE's Saudi deal (and rightfully so). Maybe he's just too pure for the world of wrestling journalism, which seems to have devolved into a primitive state of reporting on every action Sasha Banks makes on social media. I, for one, wouldn't be sad to see him veer onto that path, to be honest.
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The Wrestling Blog's OFFICIAL Best in the World Rankings for June 10, 2019

June 10, 2019, 12:45 pm
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Champ once again!
Photo Credit: Scott Finkelstein
Welcome to a feature I like to call "Best in the World" rankings. They're not traditional power rankings per se, but they're rankings to see who is really the best in the world, a term bandied about like it's bottled water or something else really common. They're rankings decided by me, and don't you dare call them arbitrary lest I smack the taste out of your mouth. Without further ado, here's this week's list:

1. Orange Cassidy (Last Week: 2) - Cassidy won back the Independent Wrestling Championship yesterday from Kris Stadtlander at the Beyond Boston show. Sure, it came with interference from Kimber Lee, but do you think he cares? If he doesn't care, then I don't care. Long live Orange Cassidy, baby!

2. Max Muncy (Last Week: Not Ranked) - Madison Bumgarner is one of the best pitchers of this decade. He's also a frothing diaper baby who just can't stand it when people have fun playing baseball. Granted, when Muncy took him deep enough to splash down in McCovey Cove last night, one could take solace that Bumgarner is an equal opportunity shithead, as Muncy is White and many of his other targets are POC. Either way, it's annoying when someone gets mad because someone on the other team celebrates good shit they did. Hell, if I were a baseball player, and I hit a home run into McCovey Cove, I would strip naked down to my jockstrap and prance around the bases doing the Cha-Cha Slide. EVERYBODY CLAP YOUR HANDS. It's INFURIATING when the aggrieved team "retaliates" by throwing a hard projectile at the celebrator at 90+ mph.

What underlies this "play the game the RIGHT WAY" claptrap is that it is racist and classist at heart. Despite its booming popularity in generally poor Latin America, baseball can be a cost-intensive game to play. Players get good in the Dominican Republic with crude sticks and old balls, but for players in America to play organized baseball, they have to buy equipment which can be expensive. I know from experience; my son played baseball and the glove itself was $25, which was the CHEAPEST option. We didn't get him a bat as we weren't sure he'd stick with it after this year (he will though, at least that's the first indication), because a bat is at least a $40 investment. Granted, it's not as cost-intensive as hockey, but it's still not as cheap to pick up as basketball. Of course, I can afford these things. What about the parent(s) of less-fortunate children who want to play baseball?

Anyway, Black and Latinx people are disproportionately represented in the lowest classes, which is thanks to things like slavery (or more accurately, the pathetic response to repaying for slavery) and exploitation of immigrants from South of the Border for drastically sub-minimum wages. When you're poor, you tend to celebrate the good things, because it takes the sting away from the avalanche of bad things that crushes you on a daily basis. Things like hitting a home run, winning five bucks on a scratchy ticket, or being able to graduate high school when so many of your friends didn't make it for whatever reason are causes for joy, the kinds of things that people in affluent communities take for granted. Good things naturally happen to them, so they bring this stuffy attitude of "acting like you've been there before." I'm sorry if you can't find joy in anything but gaining more material wealth, but that mindset is boring.

So when ballplayers celebrate the good times, it should be embraced, not reviled. It's why Brian McCann, the whole of the St. Louis Cardinals organization, the stuffy dickhead who threw at Tim Anderson earlier this year, and yes, Bumgarner are all on the wrong side of history here. If Major League Baseball was serious about its slogan "Let the Kids Play," then it would impose impossibly stiff penalties on those who engaged in retaliatory hit batsmen. I mean, as Phillies 1B and my current Large Adult Son Rhys Hoskins believes, if you don't want the dude to celebrate a home run, don't give up the home run.

Anyway, Muncy rules because when Bumgarner started jawing at him for pimping his homer, he jawed back "If you don't want me to watch the ball, go get it out of the ocean." LEGEND. Even though they traded Yasiel Puig, it's guys like him and Muncy that, even though I'm supposed to hate the Dodgers, that I can't.

3. Prince Stannis (Last Week: Not Ranked) - I may be biased because of my predilection towards the English bulldog, but Prince Stannis is currently the second-best dog in wrestling, after Officer Magnum, of course. He's a stout lad, stubborn like his namesake, refusing to budge when demanding that his mommy, Mia Yim, lift him up onto the bed. That kind of resolve is what's needed in the world today!

4. Stokely Hathaway/Malcolm Bivens (Last Week: Not Ranked) - I'm just mad that I can't find "I Put Lifts on My Boots to Complain to Jesus" on iTunes. Wait, what do you mean they shut iTunes down?

5. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (Last Week: Not Ranked) - Some corncob thinking about challenging AOC next year for her House seat went out in a wrinkled-ass shirt to try and goad her into DEBATING HIM at Pride, and the Rupert Murdoch-owned shitrag that is the New York Post treated it like it was SABU FEARS TAZ. Pride is not the time or place to do debates for a House seat, and AOC was focused on more important things, like demanding justice for the trans prisoner who conveniently showed up dead at Rikers Island. AOC doesn't have time or energy to deal with the shitty games of the Republican Party.

6. Breakfast for Dinner (Last Week: Not Ranked)OFFICIAL HOLZERMAN HUNGERS SPONSORED ENTRY - Breakfast for dinner is great because it's easy to make, tastes great, and it is packed with protein, which is what your post-work dinner should be. You really should be eating carbs in the morning to fuel your day and protein at dinner for your muscles to use to build up after you've worked. "But TH," you might say, "I work in an office." Well, the protein is healthier for you than the carbs anyway, and it's not like breakfast doesn't have ANY carbs. I mean, potatoes, toast, and bagels aren't there to sit pretty.

7. The Silversun Pickups (Last Week: Not Ranked) - The alt-rock/shoegaze icons returned with a new album this past Friday that shows that they still have "it."Widow's Weeds is probably their best effort since the seminal Swoon from earlier in the decade. Go listen to it however you can right now.

8. Kota Ibushi (Last Week: 9) - Everyone knows that Ibushi doesn't care about his body. If he can injure it for the greater good of professional wrestling, he'll do it, which is the only way I can explain this bump.

9. Lil Nas X (Last Week: Not Ranked) - Not only has he shaken up country music so much that the charts are scared of him and his smash hit, "Old Town Road," but he's also got a hugely important fan in Guy Fieri. Not only is LNX good at music, he's good at posting too as he responded the only way anyone should for the Mayor of Flavortown.

10. Otis Dozovic (Last Week: 10) -

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The Super J-Cup Is Coming to America

June 11, 2019, 7:20 am
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It's happening... in the States!
Graphics via NJPW
Smaller wrestlers didn't always have the cache that they have today. It took Tiger Mask and Dynamite Kid blowing the doors off arenas in Japan in the '80s to get people to know what the smaller wrestlers could do on a larger stage. From there, puro promotions and then World Championship Wrestling started giving the junior heavyweights a bigger spotlight. Even before the creation of the Cruiserweight Championship, early WCW featured Brian Pillman vs. Jushin Liger, but the big watershed moment was the first Super J-Cup in 1994. Even though the NJPW cache back then didn't have the mainstream appeal in America that it does today, the people in charge of major companies, specifically WCW, took notice.

While NJPW isn't the only company that has done specifically the Super J-Cup tournament (1994, 2009, and 2016 are the only tournaments run under that company's banner), it is something because of that seminal first tournament is linked to the company. So it's no surprise that they're bringing it back. What is surprising is that it will be held in the United States:
Granted, with Best of the Super Juniors being the little-guy-G1 has served them well, so this tournament will be the New Japan Cup for junior heavies at best and probably a glorified exhibition at worst. That being said, the opportunity to see guys like Dragon Lee, Shingo Takagi, and Taiji Ishimori tangle with what I assume will be a select roster of American indie cruiserweights will be exciting. After all, wrestling is more about the show than it is the results when it's at its best. In addition with the standalone G1 show in Dallas on July 6, New Japan's American outreach is kicking into high gear. Personally, I'm excited.
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Enes Kanter Training with DDP

June 11, 2019, 9:00 am
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Kanter about to be a pro wrestler?
Photo Credit: Mary Altaffer/AP
Enes Kanter has made a career as a marginally above-average big man in the National Basketball Association. He's gotten more notoriety by running afoul of the Turkish government because of his relationship with Fethullah Gülen, a mystic in exile in America because of his opposition to current President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. But as for wrestling, he's put feelers out on WWE as well. A fan of wrestling, Kanter has made inroads in WWE both by dating Dana Brooke and by appearing as a judge on Kitchen Smackdown, WWE Network's Chopped knock-off. It appears that he's serious about making the transition from basketball to pro wrestling, as he's in training. The kicker? Diamond Dallas Page is his coach. Kanter posted this training video on his Twitter:
On one hand, he didn't do any bumps, which to me is more important than any offense. On the other, he's not bad-looking for someone green.

Kanter is not the only pro athlete with wrestling dreams. Shawne Merriman tried, but his dreams flamed out. Rob Gronkowski has retired from the NFL, and he's already got a WrestleMania preshow appearance and a friend inside. Everyone expects him to report to the Performance Center sooner rather than later. But Kanter is actually training. Whether he lands in WWE or if he goes somewhere else, it'll be interesting to see how his career goes.
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