New Japan is in a Dome and Violento Jack is climbing a mountain. We’ve got Stardom and WWE too, and we had so much fun at AEW All Out that AEW is covered at Happy Wrestling Land monthly now because nobody needs “haha wow that was fun” every single week.
Working Man’s WWE TV Review (8/22/21 - 8/28/21) - Dum Dum Daniels
Stardom 5-Star Grand Prix 2021 (8/29/21) - Dum Dum Daniels
How I Met Your Puroresu: Season 1, Episode 14 - Robert McCauley
Top 10 WWE Matches of the Month (August 2021) - Dum Dum Daniels
Working Man’s WWE TV Review (8/29/21 - 9/4/21) - Dum Dum Daniels
NJPW Wrestle Grand Slam in MetLife Dome (9/4 & 9/5/21) - Dum Dum Daniels
Happy Thoughts: AEW in August 2021 - Dum Dum Daniels
AEW All Out (9/5/21) - Dum Dum Daniels
Working Man’s WWE TV Review: 8/22/21 – 8/28/21
The week, it had ups and downs. RAW was its’ usual palace of disappointment, while NXT UK was better than you could ever imagine. WWE is going through a transition but as always they’re still reluctant to make anything actually cool happen — and yes, I have seen the new NXT logo.
WWE TV Recap (8/22/21 – 8/28/21)
Highlights:
– The Miz turns on John Morrison (RAW 8/23/21)
– NXT Breakout Tournament – Final: Carmelo Hayes vs. Odyssey Jones (NXT 8/24/21)
– Hit Row w/ B-Fab vs. Legado del Fantasma (NXT 8/24/21)
– No DQ Match: Aoife Valkyrie vs. Jinny (NXT UK 8/26/21)
– #1 Contender Fatal 4-Way Elimination Match: Bianca Belair vs. Liv Morgan vs. Carmella vs. Zelina Vega (SmackDown 8/27/21)
Stuff Happening: Becky Lynch and Brock Lesnar Return at SummerSlam, RK-Bro win the Tag Team Titles, The Miz turns on John Morrison, Carmelo Hayes wins NXT Breakout Tournament, CM Punk De-Canonizes his WWE Run
Good Work: Sheamus, Kay Lee Ray, Carmelo Hayes, Aoife Valkyrie, Rampage Brown, Baron Corbin
RAW (8/23/21)
Two days after SummerSlam, not much is going on and if it is it’s probably on SmackDown.
The Miz turned on John Morrison which was at least Something Interesting, though I’m not hopeful it goes anywhere except * shudder *wrestling matches.
MVP has been tasked with extending the Bobby Lashley/Goldberg feud, and at least had the decency to call a random fan “fat boy.”
Lashley vs. Damien Priest then Lashley/Sheamus vs. Priest/Drew McIntyre was a pleasantly hoss-filled start to the show, real formula wrestling but of course Sheamus and Drew got it rocking towards the end.
Karrion Kross, moving on from NXT with even stupider gear, squashed Ricochet.
WWE actually tried to babyface Logan Paul and the crowd booed him SO loudly that they almost did, but maybe just for me personally.
The Miz crushed that beatdown. When the man is asked to deliver, really deliver, he will deliver.
R-Truth and Tozawa, Mansoor and Mustafa Ali, and now Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss – these are the colleagues defining RAW.
RK-Bro celebrated their Tag Team Title win and AJ Styles wrestled Riddle in the main event, a solid match that was a little too solid.
Rating: 1.5 / 5.0
NXT (8/24/21)
Marriage, Mandy Rose, and Malcolm Bivens – it’s NXT!
“Where does Cameron Grimes go from here?” – great question, Ted DiBiase! I don’t think they answered it.
Timothy Thatcher vs. Ridge Holland was not as cool as it looked on paper. Same with Danny Burch‘s return afterwards.
Carmelo Hayes beat Odyssey Jones to win the 2021 NXT Breakout Tournament. There wasn’t anything “must-see” in the tourney but it did introduce more solid prospects into the WWE Universe, these two included. Odyssey is fun and Carmelo goes harder than most.
Kay Lee Ray squash match = good.
Samoa Joe/Pete Dunne as next direction = good.
Legado del Fantasma‘s entrance gear for the 6-man tag main event with Hit Row was very good, while the match was… good, just in search of a better environment.
Rating: 2.0 / 5.0
MAIN EVENT (8/25/21)
Jeff Hardy vs. Shelton Benjamin just can’t be a bad match – they’re established enough and good enough to put in a generic Main Event match but still get the crowd popping big.
The Viking Raiders vs. Lucha House Party just seemed confusing for everybody.
Rating: 2.5 / 5.0
NXT UK (8/26/21)
NXT UK will just surprise you sometimes – this wasn’t a game-changer, but it begins and ends with a pair of good matches.
First was Aoife Valkyrie vs. Jinny in a No DQ Match with Joseph Conners locked in a cage. That sounds ridiculous, but Aoife’s attack before the match created some energy and they brawled all over the place while making sure the big spots – powerbomb, table bump – stood out. Good shit in the BT Arena.
Kenny Williams vs. Oliver Carter, Heritage Cup #1 Contender’s Tournament Round 1 – just ok.
Aleah James challenged Emilia McKenzie, Ilja Dragunov reflected on his NXT UK Title win, and Nina Samuels talked herself into a match with Blair Davenport.
Rampage Brown and Joe Coffey beat each other into a good match in the main event.
Rating: 3.0 / 5.0
SMACKDOWN (8/27/21)
Guest commentary from Kevin Owens and a little Brock Lesnar intrigue carried an otherwise sleepy show.
Becky Lynch is back and the crowd is … feeling out her new character, I guess? Bianca Belair, Liv Morgan, Carmella and Zelina Vega all interrupted her then wrestled for a shot at her in what was a good 4-Way Match. Really! They kept it interesting and Morgan especially showed up.
Cesaro is back! And he got attacked by Otis. Naomi is back! And was told there’s nothing for her.
Happy Corbin is hilarious but Big E ragging him doesn’t feel like something a good guy would do.
Rick Boogs pinned Dolph Ziggler!
The de-emphasis of Sami Zayn has been a bummer, but he gave Dominik Mysterio a solid TV match that’s probably Dom’s best singles match since Seth Rollins.
Finn Balor and the Street Profits teaming up to go after The Bloodline is a nice hook, but with Brock Lesnar and Saudi Arabia lurking I’m not confident it gets a chance to hit.
Rating: 2.5 / 5.0
205 LIVE (8/27/21)
This is the Ikeman Jiro and Grayson Waller show now. They beat Trey Baxter and Andre Chase, respectively.
Rating: 2.0 / 5.0
Working Man’s Satisfaction: 2.25% [+.29]
Happy Thoughts – Stardom 5-Star Grand Prix 2021 (8/29/21)
This was aired for free on YouTube, two championships on the line and two block matches from the 5-Star Grand Prix.
1. AZM vs. Hanan
An opener of young lions, one who returned to wrestling last September and the other who already has a veteran presence. It made for an easy dynamic: AZM gets out-armbarred early, then takes pleasure in messing Hanan up including a couple spine kicks that just rip. Hanan does a rolling legbar so cool I think it might win, then a stretch muffler that’s the same. They pull off some nice near falls from cradles towards the end before AZM realizes she may have to rip Hanan’a arm off to win. **3/4
2. Mai Sakurai Stardom Challenge 2nd: Momo Watanabe vs. Mai Sakurai
Unlike Hanan, Sakurai doesn’t even pretend to be fired up and competitive – she is taking this beating and that’s just how it is. Watanabe allows her a little offense, though the appreciative claps end after an elbow drop where Sakurai lands on her ass. **
3. 5 ★ STAR GP – Red Block: Himeka vs. Fukigen Death ★
Himeka is taller than your average Stardom wrestler, but paired with the 4’11” clown she is Andre the Giant. They do a few big/small spots before Fukigen lights a cigarette and does the Undertaker rope walk. Fukigen survives a crab hold and torture rack slam then reverses a rollup and wins. A 5-minute journey. *1/2
4. Future of Stardom Title: Unagi Sayaka [c] vs. Rina
This relied a lot on Rina’s offense, which wasn’t very reliable until she did a northern lights suplex with the most badass bridge towards the end. The Sayaka babyface charisma could not carry this one. **
5. Mayu Iwatani vs. Lady C
Iwatani brings the pain to young Lady C, who given her height has taken to mastering the big boot – smart move. She also does a fun hard cam sell of a dropkick before Iwatani over-shoots a moonsault to scattered laughs, then one knees first to general discomfort. **1/2
6. 5 ★ STAR GP – Blue Block: Maika vs. Takumi Iroha
Iroha made her debut in Stardom but hasn’t wrestled for them full-time in a few years, or so I am led to believe. She makes sure to remind the Stardom faithful that she is very good, or so she leads me to believe. Maika isn’t really able to keep the pace but they mostly keep it to Iroha stuff, from hitting a sweet wheel kick or taking a massive top rope superplex. Her finisher is a running razor’s edge too – incredible. **1/4
7. High Speed Title: Natsupoi [c] vs. Starlight Kid
The title of the Title did not lie, folks! Natsupoi and Starlight Kid bring some tremendous Sonic speed rope-running and countering at the start and end of this match, and in between the Kid (that’s what I call her) provides a high-quality heel performance: aggressive leg work, well-timed cut-offs, and even (limited) interference that blends in well. They lose a little steam on the last few moves, but not enough to kill the fast and furious work before it. ***1/2
Happy Thoughts: A strong main event brought up an undercard that’s wasn’t bad, but very just OK. Starlight Kid is the truth though. 3.0 / 5.0
How I Met Your Puroresu: S1 E14
How I Met Your Puroresu is a series dedicated to providing background information on matches in hopes of broadening horizons. These matches will be no longer than that of a sitcom as to not overwhelm a first time viewer.
Company: Pro Wrestling FREEDOMS
Show Title: Tokyo Death Match Carnival 2021 Vol. 2
Match: Violento Jack vs Masashi Takeda
Stakes: King of FREEDOM World Championship
Length: 20 Minutes
Production Date: August 30, 2021
Air Date: September 5, 2021
The only way to successfully scale a mountain is to keep pushing all your momentum forward. On July 5, 2021 Violento Jack ended the record-breaking 643 day reign of Toru Sugiura’s inaugural run as the King of FREEDOM Champion. Jack was Sugiura’s first defense, Christmas Day 2019 and they met again nine defenses later where Jack was able to overcome the loss.
Violento Jack isn’t a stranger to being King of FREEDOM Champion. This win over Sugiura marked his third time holding the title. What would be new for Jack is defeating Masashi Takeda. As it stands heading into the match, Takeda holds a 2-0 record over Jack (2015 & 2018) and in both cases for the title.
Jack’s journey in FREEDOMS began in 2012 when he and fellow Mexican death match wrestler, Aeroboy, flew in to compete against Takeda & Jun Kasai at Blood X’Mas. Liking what they saw, FREEDOMS brought him back the following year to compete in a tournament which resulted in a semifinal loss to Kasai.
Jack wouldn’t return to FREEDOMS in 2014 but in that time he became the DTU Extreme Champion where he went on a 537 day reign in his home promotion back in Mexico. The reign continued into the following year where he again made an appearance in FREEDOMS. Bringing along Ciclope this time, the duo again lost to Takeda & Kasai but the tour ended with the DTU Extreme Champion taking on and eventually losing to the King of FREEDOM Champion, Masashi Takeda.
After an eleven month wait for another FREEDOMS appearance, Jack returned in 2016 and made an immediate splash by defeating Kasai for the King of FREEDOM Championship. He then spent the rest of the year in Japan, defending the title against FREEDOMS owner, Takashi Sasaki, and challenging for the tag team title alongside yet another Mexican partner, Miedo Extremo.
The reign came to an end after only one defense when Jack was defeated by Daisuke Masaoka. Under Masaoka’s reign is when the title became the King of FREEDOM World Championship thanks to a defense being held in DTU. Jack spent seven straight months in Japan that year and wound up ending Masaoka’s reign.
Earning two defenses during his second reign, once against Kasai and the second in DTU against Kenji Fukimoto, it was Masashi Takeda who would again wind up on the winning side, capturing the title from Jack. Spending the rest of the year in Japan, Jack would focus his attention to the tag titles where he’d align with his rival Masaoka to capture the titles over Toru Sugiura & Mammoth Sasaki.
Both reigns would get cut short due to Masaoka injuries so Jack would find a new teammate in Mammoth Sasaki, the man he ended the record 427-day reign against and the new duo went on a 752-day reign themselves. With the tag titles stealing his attention, Jack had only challenged for the King of FREEDOM Championship once since losing to Takeda in May of 2018.
After eventually losing the tag team titles, Jack regained his focus on the King of FREEDOM Championship by going after Sugiura and recapturing the title. His first reign in 2016 ended after only one defense. The second in 2018 improved to two. Now he faces off with Masashi Takeda. The man who ended his second reign, holds a 2-0 record over Jack and has the opportunity to make this Jack’s shortest reign to date. Jack is a man who’s ascended the FREEDOMS mountain at a steady pace but in order to continue his way forward he must defeat Takeda.
Top 10 WWE Matches of the Month – August 2021
Summer is here, the fans are back, and COVID is… rising. Irregardless of all circumstances, WWE wasted absolutely no time in getting back to The Usual. Here’s what stood out.
1. NXT U.K. Title: WALTER [c] vs. Ilja Dragunov (NXT TakeOver 36 8/22/21)
They pulled it off last year in an empty arena, pulled it off a few times before WWE, and pulled it off again here: epic, MOTY-caliber championship match that seemed to both transcend what modern WWE (even pro wrestling) offers while really keeping it pretty easy. Sometimes this great sport is just hitting and shoving and kicking and taking damage and a hero willing his way into victory — actually that’s probably what it should be most of the time, but here’s a high-level example of it by two of the best (and most interesting!) wrestlers working today.
2. Edge vs. Seth Rollins (SummerSlam 8/21/21)
Edge’s Brood entrance was awesome, and it rules the match was good enough that the entrance isn’t all people will remember. The first 15 minutes of Rollins working over Edge’s neck weren’t much, but at some point you reach such a star power that it doesn’t really matter. They did the Brood entrance, filled some time, and went big on the finish. All their signature moves and big match spots were capitalized on and even these two looked like tough guys by the end. A show stealer.
3. WWE Universal Title: Roman Reigns [c] w/ Paul Heyman vs. John Cena (SummerSlam 8/21/21)
This is company guy vs. company guy, but for all the generic and overproduced wrestling that guarantees you also have two guys here who understand how to do big pro wrestling… even if it sometimes feels like it belongs in the 70s. Reigns is frustratingly good at wasting time, while Hollywood Cena remains an amazing big match seller.
4. WWE U.S. Title: Sheamus [c] vs. Damian Priest (SummerSlam 8/21/21)
Sheamus reminds us pretty much every time he wrestles that he’s still good, and he does that by being good at wrestling but also powering through whatever half-feud they’ve given him and STILL being good at wrestling. This took some time to hit but once Sheamus started building some offense up it did. Watch Sheamus’ perfectly timed bicep flex during a hold and just embrace how good you have to be to make it look easy.
5. Triple Threat Match – WWE U.S. Title: Damian Priest [c] vs. Drew McIntyre vs. Sheamus (RAW 8/30/21)
Three studs waiting for Goldberg to move on had a 3-Way Dance that followed a formula but delivered it brilliantly. They built and built and went to commercial then built and built and flipped this crowd out.
6. No DQ Match: Aoife Valkyrie vs. Jinny (NXT UK 8/26/21)
The most energized opener from NXT UK TV in a while, brawling and big spots all around the BT Arena. Valkyrie is a performer and made the most of the environment.
7. No Holds Barred – RAW Women’s Championship Contender’s Match: Nikki ASH vs. Charlotte Flair (RAW 8/2/21)
Similar to the last match, though instead of fake crowd noise at the BT Arena they had to power through an unconvinced crowd at the end of RAW. They did though. Charlotte can do a gimmick main event while Nikki kept it interesting with her likability and willingness to do insane wrestling things.
8. Sarray vs. Dakota Kai (NXT 8/10/21)
Sarray had one singles match on TV this month and it’s nearly as good as anything WWE put out, two excellent kickers kicking each other for a little on TV.
9. Ilja Dragunov vs. Pete Dunne (NXT 8/10/21)
Good pairing in advance of Ilja’a match with WALTER, though it’s kind of just an abbreviated version of a really good match.
10. Charlotte Flair vs. Nia Jax (RAW 8/30/21)
Maybe (and probably) will be best remembered as unprofessional over awesome, but hey — make the other wrestling interesting and this won’t stand out so much.
Honorable Mentions: NXT Women’s Title: Raquel Gonzalez [c] vs. Dakota Kai (NXT TakeOver 36 8/22/21), 30-Minute Iron Man Match: A-Kid vs. Jordan Devlin (NXT UK 8/5/21), Ilja Dragunov vs. Roderick Strong (NXT 8/17/21), Joe Coffey vs. Rampage Brown (NXT UK 8/26/21), NXT Tag Team Title: MSK [c] vs. Marcel Barthel & Fabian Aichner (NXT 8/17/21), Roderick Strong vs. Ikeman Jiro (NXT 8/31/21)
#1 Contender Fatal 4-Way Elimination Match: Bianca Belair vs. Liv Morgan vs. Carmella vs. Zelina Vega (SmackDown 8/27/21), NXT UK Women’s Title: Meiko Satomura [c] vs. Stevie Turner (NXT UK 8/19/21), NXT UK Tag Team Title: Pretty Deadly [c] vs. Moustache Mountain (NXT UK 8/19/21), Hit Row w/ B-Fab vs. Legado del Fantasma (NXT 8/24/21)
Working Man’s WWE TV Review: 8/29/21 – 9/4/21
There were four WWE championships defended on TV this week – five if you count the 24/7 Championship at the dog park.
WWE TV Recap (8/29/21 – 9/4/21)
Highlights:
Triple Threat Match – WWE U.S. Title: Damian Priest [c] vs. Drew McIntyre vs. Sheamus (RAW 8/30/21)
Charlotte Flair vs. Nia Jax (RAW 8/30/21)
Ikeman Jiro vs. Roderick Strong (NXT 8/31/21)
SmackDown Tag Team Championship Contender’s Match: The Usos vs. Street Profits (SmackDown 9/3/21)
Cesaro vs. Seth Rollins (SmackDown 9/3/21)
WWE Universal Title: Roman Reigns [c] vs. Finn Balor (SmackDown 9/3/21)
Stuff Happening: Damian Priest, Extreme Rules and Saudi Arabia, NXT Going Through Some Things, Roman Reigns vs. Finn Balor, Daniel Bryan and Adam Cole to AEW
Good Work: Damian Priest, Rhea Ripley, Roderick Strong, Kay Lee Ray, Emilia McKenzie, Nathan Frazer, Street Profits, Finn Balor
RAW (8/30/21)
Well, what’s the show about? It’s about nothing!
The RAW roster and its’ championships were actually kind of utilized this week, though it could just be a side effect of disorganization.
U.S. Champion Damien Priest got picked to show up and show up he did, admirably opening the show with a promo then delivering a tremendous Triple Threat Match with Drew McIntyre and Sheamus. Three tall boys flying all over lit the crowd up, especially when Sheamus blocked the Claymore with a Brouge kick.
The Miz and Alexa Bliss both did something new last week and this week they were not on the show.
Nia Jax wrestled two matches.
The one with Jax and Charlotte Flair will probably be best remembered as unprofessional over awesome, but for a little bit it seemed like they stopped cooperating live on television. The other stuff on the show is ideally better so stuff like this doesn’t stand out, but hey: it’s RAW!
Reggie escapes, Doudrop endures. Karrion Kross, The Viking Raiders.
AJ Styles vs. Xavier Woods was OK for a minute, then for another minute Woods struggled in the Calf Crusher before tapping out.
Goldberg is very angry with Bobby Lashley, who has already moved on from attacking a teenager and teamed with MVP in the main event to challenge RK-Bro for the RAW Tag Team Titles. RK-Bro won.
Rating: 1.5. / 5.0
NXT (8/31/21)
As NXT waits for their reboot in two weeks, they put on a show that kind of felt like NXT Originals vs. NXT New Class if anyone cared or was paying attention.
Mandy Rose responded to Sarray’s running dropkick by getting counted out – very good.
Kyle O’Reilly vs. Duke Hudson and Johnny Gargano vs. LA Knight got 10+ minutes each and some decent exchanges were found within, if not a pair of recommended matches.
They are delivering on Kay Lee Ray’s introduction, or at least Kay Lee Ray is delivering on her own. Good in the ring, good on the mic. Keep going.
Last I checked Grayson Waller was still undefeated on 205 Live but he couldn’t get it done here as Drake Maverick’s new tag team partner.
Raquel Gonzalez beat Jessi Kamea to setup a match with Franky Monet, and I was most struck by the humungous fake crowd pop cue for Raquel’s entrance. I wish I wasn’t, but I was.
KUSHIDA is hurt so Roderick Strong is a Cruiserweight again, or something like that. I try not to think about it too much, but we did get some flashbacks to 205 Live tournament Roddy as he faced Ikeman Jiro in a really intense enhancement match. They opened with a spot where Jiro opened his jacket to show off and Roddy just chopped him. So good.
Tommaso Ciampa vs. Ridge Holland was all sorts of rock solid, another learning match for big Ridge who is keeping up if not standing out.
Rating: 2.25 / 5.0
MAIN EVENT (9/1/21)
Jeff Hardy vs. Cedric Alexander wasn’t great but sure was good, two guys who seem to just get each other. Cedric’s screams are the most underrated bit in wrestling.
Lucha House Party clocked in and wrestled Mustafa Ali & Mansoor too.
Rating: 2.0 / 5.0
NXT UK (9/2/21)
A show that advertised an appearance by Ilja Dragunov for next week.
Blair Davenport was supposed to open the show against Nina Samuels but instead she beat her up then beat up Sid Scala too. Cool angle, weird participant.
As far as in-ring action goes, Bomber Dave Mastiff & Jack Starz won a match together and Emilia McKenzie rolled up Amale.
Outside the ring, a Symbiosis 6-man got setup and Gallus interrupted Pretty Deadly’s TikTok. Those are factual statements.
The main event was Nathan Frazer vs. Teoman in Round 1 of the Heritage Cup #1 contender’s tournament and it had some tremendous selling if not all-around wrestling. Teoman advanced in a result so unexpected it seemed to kill the fake crowd.
Rating: 1.75 / 5.0
SMACKDOWN (9/3/21)
There were three good matches on this show, but otherwise it felt like a pre-show for MSG next week.
The Becky Lynch heel reboot is still sorting itself out.
Toni Storm appeared for the first time in a month in a backstage segment to tease a thing with Dolph Ziggler. I just m-
The three good matches though – all absolutely formulaic (and each pairing has a better match out there), but the boys went hard.
The Usos vs. Street Profits for the SmackDown Tag Team Titles was probably the first of a few more, but they work well together and the Usos will always get folks out of their seats for a finish.
Cesaro vs. Seth Rollins has cooled down as a feud, but the wrestling — they can wrestle.
Roman Reigns vs. Finn Balor for the Universal Title seems like it’ll continue too, but for a 10-minute TV main event it felt pretty great — a cliffnotes version of what they might go for should they make it to pay-per-view, all action and some impressive close calls for Finn before the inevitable.
For a company that prides themselves on production, the Demon cue post-match kind of sucked.
Rating: 3.0 / 5.0
205 LIVE (9/3/21)
OHHHH we got a format change! Not really. Just 3 matches instead of 2. Anything different gets me excited on this show.
Amari Miller/Cora Jade, Joe Gacy/Josh Briggs, and Andre Chase/Xion Quinn all went to work and no offense to anyone besides Triple H but it was a pretty sad commentary on WWE developmental.
Rating: 1.75 / 5.0
Working Man’s Satisfaction: 2.04 / 5.0 [-.21]
Happy Thoughts – NJPW Wrestle Grand Slam in MetLife Dome (9/4/21 & 9/5/21)
Back in my day, running a pro wrestling show in a Dome was a sign of success. These days, it’s just something New Japan does two nights in a row despite all the circumstances — depleted roster, trash atmosphere, COVID-19 — saying HEY! Maybe that will be weird and not good.
The boys (and girls!) are working hard, but staying the course is in The Company’s blood and that blood is seeping all over the screen. Most of the top guys seem bored and the most interesting match recently had DOUKI going 30-minutes in front of 580 people at Korakuen Hall. From the Western perspective, wrestling Twitter after a big New Japan show could probably be compiled into a bad book of poetry too. “My heart… it is lost to EVIL…”
This show took place at the MetLife Dome with two-thousand-something people there each night. I think that’s due to COVID restrictions and not lack of demand, but it still looks and sounds weird and not good.
Wrestle Grand Slam in MetLife Dome – Night 1 (9/4/21)
0. Momo Watanabe & Saya Kamitani vs. Maika & Lady C
The Stardom showcase matches that opened each night are a lot better than a pandemic RAMBO or even modern Jr. Tag Team Title match, though they also stuck to the showcase concept — get your shit in but don’t freak anybody out.
Lady C popped commentary with her kneelift and Momo reliably messed folks up, while Maika did three awesome power suplex variations: double vertical suplex, deadlift out of a necklock / bodyscissors into suplex, and a superplex suplex. Kamitani showed off a little too before going ahead and freaking everyone out just once by way of a Phoenix splash. **3/4
1. Robbie Eagles & Tiger Mask vs. Hiromu Takahashi & BUSHI
This was a preview match for tomorrow that also set Robbie Eagles and geriatric Tiger Mask up as Jr. Tag Team Title challengers — how’s that for booking that is both efficient and sad at the same time? Hiromu and Robbie did enough to tease a quality match tomorrow in between Tiger taking heat and Hiromu putting on Robbie’s bandana. Real good topes here too. **3/4
2. YOH vs. SHO
Former teammates and you have to assume best friends collide! And it’s pretty good. Heel SHO has added a swagger to his entrance and while he doesn’t do much to distinguish himself as anything other than a standard issue New Japan junior heavyweight heel, standard issue can work if you just try hard enough.
YOH meanwhile gets in the ring and elbows SHO in the face, then shows some much-needed intensity as he kicks him around. Did a sweet roll-through calf crusher thing too. The problem is they go nearly half an hour. Dig the swagger, dig the intensity — the in between wasn’t all there. Still, good match and necessary resets for both. ***1/4
3. No DQ I Quit Match – KOPW Title: Chase Owens [c] vs. Toru Yano
Who’s it for? Who is it for? Half-hour Toru Yano brawl with the crappiest American wrestler in New Japan since Jack Bull. Is New Japan meta now? Why would- DUD
4. Kazuchika Okada vs. Jeff Cobb
If any of the last few matches deserved some time it was probably this, and it got time: another half-hour! And I don’t think they did enough with it. There’s the occasional cool moment – a Cobb suplex or Okada doing a hang loose pose – but Cobb just feels like a scab top guy and only in the rarest occasion do I buy him doing the whole New Japan thing with a New Japan guy. Okada sells like a (former) champ but at this point he’s just running through the usual, and the big near falls at the end didn’t feel earned — nor did the Cobb win. **1/2
5. IWGP U.S. Heavyweight Title: Hiroshi Tanahashi [c] vs. Kota Ibushi
After a grudge match, comedy match, and Okada match that all lasted thirty minutes apiece, the main event shook things up: under twenty minutes! It’s probably because Ibushi is making his return from a respiratory illness, but something is definitely up when Hiroshi Tanahashi of all people pulls rank and says: “I think I wanna to go 15 minutes tonight.”
The match is very good, delivered by two fellows who are very good at this. They hit the mat for a little and when they first stand up to square up again, there’s a joy in Ibushi’s face — I assume either because he has returned to pro wrestling or because he forgot he’s worked Tanahashi before and is just really excited.
The basic idea here is Ibushi keeps going for the kill and Tana targets the leg, though there isn’t an extended portion of leg work at all — special stuff. Ibushi’s choice of weapon is a knee to the face in a variety of ways: he blocks a High Fly Flow and pulls Tanahashi into the setup for a Kamigoye, and right before the end he pulls out what I can only describe as a bicycle Kamigoye. Tanahashi’s face reads that he’s accepted his fate after that one, but the Ace has still got tricks. The rating here probably says below average New Japan main event, but I really appreciated them keeping it simple for once. ***3/4
Wrestle Grand Slam in MetLife Dome – Night 2 (9/5/21)
0. Giulia & Syuri vs. Momo Watanabe & Saya Kamitani
The energy that Giulia and Syuri bring to their entrance dance number is so infectious that it basically carries the whole match. Watanabe and Kamitani return to kick ass and do wild things respectively, including a massive springboard plancha from Kamitani. She tries to repeat last night’s Skytwister press but Giulia cuts her off and Syuri brings her down with a rough-looking Hoverboard Lock that she flips into a stretch muffler for some reason. Each showcase struggled to keep momentum but my goodness: for the variety alone, more Stardom on these shows. ***
1. Kazuchika Okada & Tomohiro Ishii vs. Jeff Cobb & Great O-Khan
This was Ishii’s return after visiting the U.S. to carry Moose to a good match, and what a guy: he did the same here for Okada, Cobb, and O-Khan. I mean maybe he did, all I know is his presence made everything a lot more engaging. He worked the mat with O-Khan, traded shots with Cobb, and anytime the match revved up it was on him. Khan’s delivery on a boot to assist Cobb’s suplex and his iron claw slam were especially nifty too. Okada mostly sold his back and repeated stuff with Cobb. ***1/4
2. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Title: Taiji Ishimori & El Phantasmo [c] vs. El Desperado & Yoshinobu Kanemaru
After the last year-and-a-half the idea of troll heels as Jr. Tag Team Champions seems at the very least redundant, no? Once Ishimori and ELP stopped messing and El Desperado started wrestling it did get pretty good, but that’s kind of the verdict on every Jr. Tag Title match at some point. Despy’s loud grunt off an ELP thrust kick makes the near fall that follows, and his mannerisms in using the iron fingers at the end help make the iron fingers not that lame. ***
3. 3-Way Match – IWGP Tag Team Title: Zack Sabre Jr. & Taichi [c] vs. Hirooki Goto & YOSHI-HASHI vs. Tetsuya Naito & SANADA
There was allegedly a match here, but I couldn’t follow the plot. Each team sort of got a little section to do their thing and occasionally they do something cool – ZSJ running uppercut to Taichi high kick whoaaa – but there isn’t anything holding it together so in the end it’s just a long misfire. **3/4
4. IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title: Robbie Eagles [c] vs. Hiromu Takahashi
If New Japan wasn’t going through all this “stuff” I think Robbie Eagles might be getting more love. Keeping up with the six or seven junior heavyweights still active in New Japan isn’t the most impressive thing anyone’s ever done but now this is 2 for 2 him keeping up with and even adding a distinct feel to big deal IWGP Jr. Title matches. There’s an element of trickery to the man’s movements that I respect. When he kicks out of the Time Bomb it doesn’t feel completely earned, but the force with which Hiromu taps to his legbar has it all making sense. Is Robbie Eagles a metaphor for the loss of New Japan’s soul? I don’t know, but he’s way better than Marty Scurll or something. ***1/2
5. IWGP World Heavyweight Title: Shingo Takagi [c] vs. EVIL
For all the bad marks on New Japan right now, World Heavyweight Champion Shingo Takagi is an unquestionable bright spot. He’s got a way of building up momentum and energy and just making people give a shit throughout his matches both short and long-term, and if all else fails this great wrestler will close the show strong.
EVIL and the new “House of Torture” offshoot of the Bullet Club put that theory to the test, but it still held true. Kind of. EVIL is washed as an offense guy and he doesn’t even look cool during his entrance anymore, but in between all the interference and commentators taking bumps there was Shingo Takagi, building momentum and energy and just making people give a shit. The bad guys ran in, the good guys ran in, and Shingo closed the show strong. Kind of. ***
Happy Thoughts: The 2-night MetLife Dome show had a few good matches (Tanahashi/Ibushi, Hiromu/Eagles) but more than anything it was marred by stubborn or outright crappy decisions, from matches that went too long to a reluctance to do anything new other than give Will Ospreay a faction. Average Dome show with an atmosphere that made it a tedious Dome Show. 2.0 / 5.0
Happy Thoughts – AEW in August 2021 (Rampage Debut, Dante Martin, CM Punk)
“I’m back.” – CM Punk
From sometime around 2004 to 2014, following the career of a guy named CM Punk helped unlock a combination of pro-wrestling love and real-life pride in a young me that was searching for something that made some sense. Then he dipped, and bless him for it. Six months later I got married (it wasn’t connected). Then a son. Then that Presidency. Then the pandemic. It’s called growing up.
As I sat in Section 312, Row 8, Seat 8, at the United Center and watched Punk make his return to pro wrestling seven (sixteen?) years after he moved on, seventeen years after I first saw him wrestle in Chicago Ridge, ten years after I cheered with a passion and viciousness not seen since as he faced down John Cena and Vince McMahon at the Allstate Arena, seven years after I went to the first RAW there after he left WWE and joked on the way to the show that they’d trot out Big Show at the end as a misguided make-good and then they actually did… I thought to myself: maybe I should start watching AEW Dark.
It’s 2021 and a few weeks ago — after watching him wrestle in multiple suburbs of Chicago over the years — I went to the United Center in actual Chicago with thousands of other like-minded fans on basically a strong hunch that CM Punk was returning to wrestling. Then he did, and bless him for it.
My pals and the people I pay attention to are enjoying this thing going on right now where the hobby is having a moment after pantomiming as a quarterly stock report for 20 years, and occasionally my weekly reaction boils down to “gee gosh wrestling is awesome and simple and fun ha.” So welcome to HWL’s new monthly wrap-up on All Elite Wrestling, because they earned it.
August 2021
Two weeks after I bought tickets to AEW All Out thinking I’d see Kenny Omega vs. Hangman Page if I was lucky, AEW chief Tony Khan announced a show at the United Center set for two weeks before All Out and I bought tickets to that too. So it began.
Even before “The First Dance,” August was busy: All Out shaped up, a second weekly show premiered on TNT, and on the first Wednesday of the month Malakai Black kicked Cody Rhodes into a long vacation. The first few editions of Rampage started strong too: Episode 1 had Christian Cage beating Kenny Omega, Fuego del Sol signing with AEW, and Jamie Hayter returning as Britt Baker’s Ace.
Episode 3 had Giannis (that one) freaking out in the front row. Episode 2 had CM Punk.
AEW gave one of the most curious and anxious of fanbases (putting it mildly) something to anticipate for a few weeks, let them in on the secret just a little bit, and then — in a twist — completely delivered.
After one of the loudest and most cathartic audience reactions that I’ve ever personally experienced, Punk explained his time away, offered empathy for anyone disappointed, name-dropped Britt Baker, buried WWE, told a story, challenged Darby Allin, teased future matches, promoted a pay-per-view, gave away free ice cream, sold a bunch of t-shirts, and de-canonized WWE as pro wrestling better than that doofus Triple H ever could. He also said “I’m back.”
The Elite are the Champions and effectively annoying: Kenny Omega moved on from Hangman Page to Christian Cage, and a tournament for a shot at the Young Bucks helped The Lucha Bros and Jurassic Express matter again.
Jon Moxley, Eddie Kingston, Darby Allin and Sting rule as top guys but it rules even more how sidetracked they all got this month by Daniel Garcia and 2point0, new additions to the roster who absolutely maximized their minutes as both quality wrestlers and recruitment packages for the good folks still with WWE.
Everybody being in a faction laid a solid foundation: Orange Cassidy and Best Friends vs. Matt Hardy’s Family Office, Death Triangle vs. Andrade el Idolo and the boys, Team Taz vs. Brian Cage and nobody. Chris Jericho vs. MJF stayed alive too with the 5 Labours of Jericho that gave us Juventud Guerrrera back to TNT and a little too much “Judas.”
Besides brief rivalries for Britt Baker/Red Velvet and Diamante/Big Swole, the women’s division was mostly found in squash matches on Dark. At some point though, by month-end to be exact, the roster felt developed enough for a Casino Battle Royale.
Dark had its’ 100th webisode, Dan Lambert talked shit, and Dante Martin had like ten breakout performances. The Redeemer Miro ruled as TNT Champion, Joey Janela turned heel, and The Factory went after Tony Schiavone‘s kid and Paul Wight for some reason too.
Performance Review for August 2021:5.0 / 5.0 (YES!)
Top 10 Matches
Impact World Heavyweight Title: Kenny Omega [c] vs. Christian Cage (Rampage 8/13/21)
AEW World Tag Team Title: The Young Bucks [c] vs. Jurassic Express (Dynamite 8/18/21)
Cody Rhodes vs. Malakai Black (Dynamite 8/4/21)
TNT Title: Miro [c] vs. Fuego del Sol (Rampage 8/13/21)
Matt Sydal vs. Daniel Garcia (Dark: Elevation 8/19/21)
AEW Tag Team Title Eliminator Tournament – Final: Jurassic Express vs. The Lucha Bros (Rampage 8/27/21)
Jon Moxley, Eddie Kingston & Darby Allin w/ Sting vs. 2point0 & Daniel Garcia (Dynamite 8/4/21)
Matt Sydal, Mike Sydal & Dante Martin vs. Kenny Omega & The Young Bucks w/ The Elite (Dynamite 8/11/21)
Dante Martin vs. Anthony Bowens (Dark: Elevation 8/23/21)
Wheeler Yuta w/ Chuck Taylor vs. Matt Hardy w/ Private Party (Dark 8/17/21)
For email space’s sake, read the rest (Other Cool Matches, Best Angles/Promos, Areas of Excellence, Favorite Things, RANKINGS) at Happy Wrestling Land!
Happy Thoughts – AEW All Out 2021 (9/5/21)
I attended AEW All Out 2021 at the NOW Arena and here’s what I thought happened.
0. Orange Cassidy, Chuck Taylor, Wheeler Yuta, Jungle Boy & Luchasaurus vs. Matt Hardy, Private Party & The Hybrid2
Pitch perfect is a term of hyperbole but here we were, a 10-man tag team match that as a live attendee I can guarantee you was pitch perfect. Still means like 3.25 stars max, but still: they kept it moving or at least interesting, and both Jungle Boy and Orange Cassidy continued looking like megastars. The people love the Dino too. ***1/4
The beginning of the show was less advertising and more energy-inducing: Tarzan Boy singalong then the Pixies then a nifty match then the return of The Butcher and clap-a-long for JR’s Sooners then everybody chanting in unison for Eddie F’N Kingston.
1. TNT Title: Miro [c] vs. Eddie Kingston
Eddie turns Hoffman Estates into Yonkers and instead of boos for Miro the people just seemed pissed off like it was 1982 and the discovery was still happening. They didn’t waste much time jumping forward to mid-90s Japan too, a real heavyweight fight mostly based around strikes and slams like a nasty powerslam to the floor and a backdrop suplex by Eddie they built to and delivered on.
Mostly strikes though, and those strikes hit — probably because they actually did, but also because Eddie was dead eye selling all over the place. The people love Eddie: the pop when he got to the ropes in the Accolade was outstanding, as was the near fall on his DDT considering they just built it up last week. Miro’s range of match styles as TNT Champ continues to be a story too. ****1/4
2. Jon Moxley vs. Satoshi Kojima
Kojima’s entrance theme remains grand; I got downright emotional as he entered but not really in an introspective way — it was more like a beautiful piece of art and the effort that led to it was washing over me and demanding I embrace it. They kept the match to current Kojima’s basic style so it read a little like 12 minutes of Greatest Hits but man — those hits still work, especially when most of the crowd respects Koji and lives for Mox. When Kojima hit that superplex… chef’s kiss. ***1/4
After the match, Minoru Suzuki’s music hit and he entered, stared down Moxley, laid him out and put his boot over his fallen body. I’m not sure I’ve ever genuinely marked out so hard for an entrance (sorry Punk), or was at least so surprised by one — Suzuki was in the country, but this crazy company was basically advertising another big appearance later. What else was to come?!
3. AEW Women’s World Title: Britt Baker [c] w/ Jamie Hayter Rebel vs. Kris Statlander w/ Orange Cassidy
What could’ve easily been relegated to a match in a “tough spot on the card” ended up delivering some real championship wrestling and a perfect palate cleanser between King Suzuki and a Steel Cage. Statlander got to show off her power early and often while the word that comes to mind for Baker is confidence. Baker’s Panama Sunrise was a tremendous bit — little did we know… ***1/4
4. Steel Cage Match – AEW World Tag Team Title: The Young Bucks [c] w/ Brandon Cutler vs. The Lucha Bros w/ Alex Abrahantes
Sometime after this match I overheard these two old-timers by the concessions recalling the experience like they just got back from the Boston Garden, a genuine excitement as one proclaimed (and the other agreed) it was “the greatest Cage Match I’ve ever seen.”
Look. I’ve seen a lot of Steel Cage matches. Some real cool ones, fun ones, straight-up brutal ones. Lot of bad ones too. Either way, I think I agree with those guys.
They started punching and bumping right away and didn’t really stop, only slowing down for bleeding or mask-ripping or rubbing faces into sneakers that had thumbtacks glued to the soles. An expectation comes with these two teams now anytime they wrestle as if it’s just easy to pull off the high-flying they do on a consistent basis, but here they were showing the reputation is there for a reason: elite high-flying, wrestling drama, and plenty of “OH FUCK” emanating from NOW Arena.
Pro wrestling finds its’ art from multiple directions: carnage (Fenix flew full-speed into the cage multiple times), grace (he tightrope walked on top of it later), excitement (the BTE Trigger near fall AHHHH), and sometimes just a well-timed shot to the balls. They did it all inside this BIG ASS CAGE, another element of what made the match feel like such a major deal.
It was the fifth match on the show that received a “This is Awesome” chant, but there’s got to be something else now — “This is Insanely Good and I Am Impressed but also Concerned for your Health” or something of the sort. Two 2-man dynasties swung their dicks out and had a serious, fun, jaw-dropping, bloody and badass wrestling classic. *****
5. 21-Woman Casino Battle Royale
Plenty of filler brawling, but this packed in enough story bits to not be a total miss — just not a total winner until Ruby Soho made her debut in yet another phenomenal and cathartic wrestling return. I still feel like someone needs to personally explain to me why Riho was eliminated so fast though.
Ruby and Thunder Rosa ended up the (correct) final two and delivered a great match trailer, including Rosa going all goofball on the elimination teases. The roster is developing and with at least this particular crowd incredibly popular too. **3/4
6. If Jericho Loses, He Retires: Chris Jericho vs. MJF
We had a sing-a-long, ass-kicking, Japan, ladies, cages — now here’s Chris Jericho. Starting with MJF’s troll Millennium Countdown entrance, ignoring the awkward instrumental “Judas” entrance, and ending with a potentially annoying but well-executed restart finish, these two put on a good show. Like a pair of professionals they used arm work, signatures, and a few pieces of bullshit to weave a crowd-pleaser of a tale. It was basic but productive and seemed like something WWE could’ve done one day if the Performance Center wasn’t so whatever it is. ***1/2
7. CM Punk vs. Darby Allin w/ Sting
Besides the PANTS, CM Punk’s approach in a wrestling ring after a 7-year break hasn’t changed much. What he lacks in variety and gracefulness he makes up for in being giving to his opponent and just being over as shit. This felt live a little like him doing an Antonio Inoki match, and not just because of the cobra twist — he’s got a style mismatch of an opponent and there’s many stretches where he’s holding Darby down in a chinlock to fill in the gaps. It’s not boring though: our boy’s in a fight and he’s got to do what he’s got to do!
Darby Allin brought to the table exactly what got him the match in the first place and did an especially good job slowing down the speed down for Punk, who sometimes felt a step behind but only because Darby is always so balls out. Punk’s sit-up to counter the Coffin Drop and grin afterwards was brilliant too, like he was trying all match to either keep up or keep Darby down then found the solution by just being a clever dick. Quality return match, a story to care about, and real good post-match vibes. ****
8. Paul Wight vs. QT Marshall w/ The Factory
Special attraction veteran squashes company douchebag – there’s a place on the show for it, but it was probably earlier. Wight seemed more limited than ever and even the “shhh” spots felt silly considering the energy of the show. They’ve been able to cover for Sting’s age appropriately, now do Paul. DUD
9. AEW World Heavyweight Title: Kenny Omega [c] vs. Christian Cage
Christian has a great checklist of a match that will start just fine and eventually rope you into the genius in front of you. He did the Damn Thing again here too, but the awesome catch was about 75% of the way through that list Kenny started rocking him with some especially brutal V-Trigger’s that Christian sold like a guy who is really good at this – maybe one of the best!
He was a fallen fighter shocked to be struck down in the middle of a routine, and his attempts to persevere as Kenny cut him off again and again by way of knee to face was a great twist. This also felt completely different from their (also great) Impact Title match, maybe a little more Kenny then Christian. The folks were waiting for Bryan Danielson, but the checklist and V-Triggers and a top rope One-Winged Angel made sure they paid attention. ****
Post-match, The Elite all got together for a little celebration and anyone at the NOW Arena who was anticipating the possibility of Bryan Danielson showing up (most people) began to… anticipate. AEW used the occasion to debut free agent Adam Cole (Bay Bay), who immediately joined The Elite and talked shit until AEW also brought out free agent Bryan Danielson too. It was only September, but wrestling Christmas was here.
As people exited the arena, there was an energy in the air like everybody just got laid. I was practically glowing as I recounted with strangers all the major moments of the night: Adam Cole, Bryan Danielson, Ruby Soho, that Cage Match, Minoru Suzuki… THE BUTCHER!!!
Happy Thoughts: There it is, the perfect wrestling show. They loaded it up with moments and surprises that ranged from fun to industry-changing, but strip that away and the wrestling was great too. Hallelujah. 5.0 / 5.0