SirEdger

Absolutely on-board with this. Can't wait to see what you'll come up with.

I'll echo the sentiment about last night's show. Couldn't have asked for a better 2020 start for AEW. I know some are iffy about Arn Anderson's position as Cody's advisor/head coach but if it results in all the little things like we've seen with the finish last night, it's PERFECT. I'm not sure there are a lot of people who want Arn to turn heel on Cody, even though history suggests this would be the logical thing to do because of the history between the Rhodes and the Horsemen. But if you compare Arn's perception to Tully's, Tully has made a career being that one guy in the Horsemen being so good at being a prick that you want him in that role. Arn's later role as manager of the last version of the Horsemen in WCW probably solidified him as a credible babyface/tweener manager. Arn can do what he did last night, along with the off-the-cuff promo or Spinebuster every once in a while.

That would totally be a Vince thing.

I'll also say that Okada vs Tanahashi has pretty much been my intro to New Japan in the past couple of years (although I became familiar with it during their working relationship days with WCW) and I would easily recommend anything they did to someone who'd like to know more about New Japan. Still, it's scary to think about the notion that Okada is perhaps entering his prime, considering how long he's been on top of the promotion, delivering night in and night out.

Personally, I'd say start around April or May, with the build for Slammiversary (the Tessa vs Sami match main eventing the show is a must-see). There wasn't anything outright bad or avoidable this year but it's really after their Rebellion PPV that I felt they hit all cylinders. But if you also wanna see the end of the LAX/Lucha Bros feud, you can also start a bit prior and see Rebellion.

Didn't Amy once said that she dumped Dolph because he was too athletic in bed during sex?

The Nightmare Collective is way too similar to the Dark Order. I honestly don't know why they ultimately decided to remove Brandi from Cody at ringside. Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled to see Arn Anderson back in a managerial position with Cody but Brandi and Cody WORKED. I don't know if they felt the need to have Brandi thrive on her own without being constantly associated to Cody but it doesn't work for me so far.

And then, WWE officials and talent are mad when we question if every little thing is part of an angle or real.

Need we say more? Arguably the two most prominent figures outside of WWE in the past decade and the two aces of New Japan Pro Wrestling. Both men have carried the promotion on their shoulders for the past number of years, etching their place in history. What Steve Austin and The Rock have become to WWF during the Attitude Era, Hiroshi Tanahashi & Kazuchika Okada have been to NJPW in the past decade. Okada has been recognized for so long as the best wrestler in NJPW but what about Tanahashi? This is the place to discuss everything Tanahashi vs Okada!

ACCW/MACW BACKSTORY UPDATE: In mid-November, it was announced that Eddie Graham would sell his territory to Jim Crockett Promotions Inc, spearheaded by Jim Crockett Jr, due to financial difficulties. At the press conference about the sale of the territory, Crockett announced that Atlantic Coast Championship Wrestling would be rebranded as Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling and break off from the AWA. Despite that, Crockett says that the final event under the ACCW banner, New Year’s Eve Bash, would still take place in Greensboro, NC on December 31st. However, all the titles would then be vacated and replaced with Mid-Atlantic branded championships. Crockett confirms that no major changes with staff will take place but several new talents would make their way in the territory through 1985. Crockett announces that the MACW office will relocate in Atlanta, GA and they’ll run weekly TV at the WTBS studios. Crockett confirms that Georgia & Alabama will be part of the MACW territory and he’s negotiating with other promoters to share events in Louisiana and Mississippi. And now, for the final time under the ACCW colors: NEW YEAR’S EVE BASH December 31st, 1984 Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, NC Match #1 Reverend Jimmy Valiant vs Boomer Lynch Backstory: There was a time where the Church of Boogie Woogie was riding high in ACCW. But once Reverend Cash was viciously attacked and driven out of the territory, Valiant fell on hard times. Boomer Lynch didn’t hesitate to make fun of Valiant and even went as far as to interrupt one of Valiant’s speeches at one of his “masses” and knocked him out with his own chalice. It was decided that both men would collide at New Year’s Eve Bash event. The match: This match is mostly a comedy affair to open the show as Valiant relies on dancing and hyping the crowd to get under Boomer Lynch’s skin, which definitely worked because Lynch got in all kinds of troubles early. After some shenanigans that allowed him to regain control, Lynch eventually made too many mistakes that would allow the Reverend to hit his Flying Elbow and secure the win in the opening match. Winner: Reverend Jimmy Valiant Match #2 6-Men Tag House of Humperdink (Kevin Sullivan, Purple Haze & The Great Kabuki) vs The Rock N’ Roll RPMs & Don Kernodle Backstory: Another stable that has been struggling recently had been the House of Humperdink. With the recent departures of Konga the Barbarian & Abdullah the Butcher, many assumed that Sir Oliver Humperdink’s plans had been definitively thwarted but Humperdink continue to claim that the House is alive and well and is planning to add new members to his stable, more twisted and cruel than ever. In the meantime, they still found some way to success as the Great Kabuki took the Atlantic Coast TV title away from Mike Davis, not without help from Purple Haze. Despite being outnumbered, the RPMs challenged the House to a 6-men tag at New Year’s Eve Bash. Don Kernodle is the one to step up, volunteering to team with the RPMs. The match: As hot as both Davis & Lane have been in singles competition lately during Davis’ reign as TV champion, they’re clearly lacking some time together and it definitely made a difference as the House of Humperdink have been solidly working together recently and it paid off in the match. No Green Mist needed this time as it is Kevin Sullivan putting Don Kernodle away with a Double Stomp from the 2nd rope to secure the win. Winners: The House of Humperdink Match #3 Loser Must Retire Bill White vs Johnny Weaver (w/Jose Luis Rivera) Backstory: No one could’ve predicted that Bill White & Johnny Weaver would be this dominant as a tag team in ACCW but their reign came to a crashing halt when the Brisco Brothers beat them for their titles. However, when White & Weaver fail to regain the titles from the Briscos, Johnny Weaver lost it and turned on Bill White. Weaver explained his actions by saying that White & Weaver no longer see things the same way and it was time to cut him loose. In surprising fashion, Jose Luis Rivera stepped up for Bill White and confronted Weaver over his betrayal of White. Weaver taunted Rivera, saying that he would never amount to anything in the sport. Weaver challenged Rivera to a match which if Rivera lost, Weaver would win his services for 30 days; which Weaver did, but not without questionable tactics. Meanwhile, Bill White had vowed to get revenge on Weaver and if he couldn’t so, he would retire from the sport completely. This was all Weaver needed to hear to make a proposal to White; White would only get one shot at beating Weaver and if he doesn’t beat him, he’s history. In the meantime, Weaver consistently used a reluctant Rivera to help him win matches and one would wonder if Rivera would actually be a factor in the outcome of this match. The match: There was an intense staredown between both men in what could be described as an emotionally charged moment and once the bell rang, it was on. It was a slow-paced affair with Johnny Weaver being as methodical as expected under the circumstances. Like in previous occasions recently, Weaver often relied on Rivera to give him a hand in retaining the advantage over Bill White, which Rivera reluctantly obliged, due to the stipulations that he must comply with. The climax of the match came when Weaver demanded Rivera to slide him a chair in the ring. Rivera grabbed a chair and climbed on the apron. Weaver wanted the chair but Rivera refused to give it to him, much to the crowd’s delight. Weaver answered with a stiff right hand that sent Rivera on the floor, only for Weaver to turn around and get locked into a bearhug from White! Weaver was on the verge of passing out when he raked the eyes of White to get free of the hold. Weaver then locked in the Weaver Lock on White and unfortunately for him, White had to submit. Postmatch, the crowd gave a nice ovation to Bill White but no bragging or disrespect from Johnny Weaver. Weaver shook his hand and nodded in respect to White and walked away, letting White having one final moment in the ring. Winner: Johnny Weaver Match #4 Taped Fist Match Mike Graham vs “Mr. Magnificent” Kevin Kelly The backstory: No one took a more sadistic turn at the end of 1984 than “Mr. Magnificent” Kevin Kelly. After a gratuitous attack that broke Mike Graham’s jaw in a mach, Kelly spent most of his time trying to add insult to injury. The situation hit a fever pitch one night in Norfolk, Virginia when Kelly interrupted a match between Mike Graham and Bulldog Bob Brown and viciously attacked him, handcuffing him to the ropes and pounding him repeatedly with brass knuckles. Eddie Graham was on the verge of firing Kevin Kelly from the territory but at the behest of his son Mike, he reluctantly changed his mind. Instead, Mike would demand to wrestle Kelly in a Taped Fist Match at New Year’s Eve Bash in hopes to finally settle this, once and for all. The match: Unquestionably, a violent and brutal match with Graham panting all the rage he had kept in himself since Kelly’s first attack and channelling it in this one. However, his broken jaw remained an Achilles heel and Kelly took full advantage of it for a big part of the match. Luckily for Graham, Kelly’s cockiness came back to haunt him as he lifted Graham up after what was sure to be a victory after clocking him with a solid right hand. However, it was Graham’s right hand that did the job on Kelly after multiple shots to his jaw and Graham pinned him for the win. But Graham didn’t have time to celebrate as Kelly attacked Graham one more time from behind. Kelly reached under the ring to grab a bullrope and got back in the ring. Kelly tried to tie it around the neck of Graham but luckily for Mike, his father Eddie charged the ring. Eddie wanted to fight Kelly but Kelly laughed it off and decided to retreat anyway, with the damage he intended to do being done. Winner: Mike Graham Match #5 For the The Bulldogs’ Contender’s Crown The Brisco Brothers vs The British Bulldogs The backstory: It didn’t take long for things to be hectic between the Briscoes and the Bulldogs as soon as Dynamite Kid & Davey Boy Smith arrived in the territory. Wrestling each other in several time limit draws, they’d never seen to find out who was the better team of the bunch. But they had seen enough of their underhanded tactics as Jerry Brisco captured the Florida Heavyweight Championship that they vowed to ensure this wouldn’t happen again. Therefore, if Stampede Rush entered New Year’s Eve Bash as the tag team champions, they had to thank the Bulldogs for that as Davey Boy prevented Jerry Brisco to use his title belt on Kerry Brown, allowing Brown to roll up Jerry to win the titles. Subsequently, for the first time ever, the Contender’s Crown was contested in a tag team battle royal that the Bulldogs won last eliminating....The Briscos. It appeared that we’d be seeing the Bulldogs cashing in their title shot against Stampede Rush but the Briscos also wanted in. Therefore, Eddie Graham announced that the Brisco Brothers would wrestle the British Bulldogs for the Contender’s Crown. Shortly before the show, Jim Crockett Jr confirmed that despite the ACCW Tag Team titles no longer being recognized after the show, the winning team would win the right to vie to become the first Mid-Atlantic Tag Team Championship on January 4th in Norcross, GA. The match: If fans bought tickets to New Year’s Eve Bash specifically for this match, they got their money’s worth. A spectacular demonstration of chemistry and unity from both tag teams. What the Briscos have in experience teaming together for more than a decade, the Bulldogs made up in speed & power. A missed diving headbutt from Dynamite Kid gave the Briscos the momentum and they worked on Dynamite’s neck for a good portion of the match but once Davey Boy got the hot tag, the Bulldogs took over. In a desperate move, Jerry Brisco goes outside to reach for his Florida Heavyweight title belt to hit Davey Boy but Dynamite Kid climbs on the top rope and jumps outside in a cross body on Jerry! A distracted Jack then fell prey to Davey Boy’s powerslam and the Bulldogs secured the victory and a title shot in Norcross, GA on January 4! Winners and still Contender’s Crownholders: The British Bulldogs Match #6 ACCW Heavyweight Championship Robert Fuller vs Buzz Tyler (c) The backstory: It is often said that things are like the Wild West in Atlantic Coast and this match is no exception. Upon winning the ACCW title very shortly after the Stud Stable’s arrival, Robert Fuller felt confident enough that he would retain the title in convincing fashion so when he threw an open challenge and it was answered by “Avalanche” Buzz Tyler, Fuller thought he was in for an easy night but that night turned into a nightmare when Tyler rolled up Fuller to surprise him with the victory. Afterwards, the Stud Stable went on an impossible quest to get the title of Tyler, resorting to calling people from other AWA territories like “Mean” Mike Miller to get the title of him, but in vain. Eventually, the Stud Stable realized that there was no better way to get the job done than doing it themselves. Fuller would then get a rematch with Buzz Tyler for New Year’s Eve Bash. The match: With Jimmy Golden at ringside, Robert Fuller is convinced that tonight is the night to get his title back. And with the constant interference from Jimmy Golden, it seems that it’s gonna happen and Fuller will regain his title. But eventually, Bill Alfonso catches Golden getting involved in the match and throws him out of the building! Golden protests and so does Fuller but doing so with his back turned and this close to the turnbuckles isn’t the smartest idea. That’s the opening that Tyler was looking for and Tyler hits the Avalanche squashing Fuller in the corner. Fuller goes down and Tyler only has to cover Fuller while a helpless Golden watches the whole thing unfold. Tyler celebrates as Golden helps Fuller to the back. Who would’ve thought that Buzz Tyler would’ve been the final Atlantic Coast Heavyweight Champion??? Winner: Buzz Tyler (retains his title) Match #7 The Masked Superstar vs Bob Orton The backstory: 2 of the newest arrivals in the territory but 2 of the big names nevertheless. Both the Masked Superstar and Bob Orton could arguably claim to be next in line to wrestle for the Atlantic Coast Heavyweight Championship. This match definitely was more about who’s next in the pecking order rather than personal issues. As the days of Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling are upon us, both men cannot afford to come off the losing end of this match The match: Nothing heated. Nothing controversial. Just straight up, good ol’ fashioned wrasslin’ by both men. Masked Superstar is obviously in advantage from experience but Orton is able to hold his own in there. Superstar is able to hit a swinging neckbreaker on Orton but Orton is able to reach the ropes for the count of 2, breaking the count. Superstar goes again for another swinging neckbreaker but Orton turns it into a backslide and gets the pinfall victory. After the match, both men shook hands and looks like Orton has momentum heading into Mid-Atlantic. Winner: Bob Orton Match #8 Atlantic Coast Tag Team Championship Stampede Rush (c) (w/Junkyard Dog) vs Mad Dog Lefebvre & Richard “Le Magnifique” Charland (w/King Tonga) – King Tonga & JYD to be chained together at ringside The backstory: As mentioned earlier, Stampede Rush could thank the British Bulldogs for their current title reign but that didn’t mean things would get any easier. In fact, the new trio of Lefebvre, Charland and their recently hired assassin King Tonga, had been wreaking havoc ever since they joined forces and after subsequently defeating the Gunslingers and the Rock N’ Roll RPMs in convincing fashion, Lefebvre & Charland made it clear to Stampede Rush that they were gunning for their titles. However, with King Tonga in tow, it would end up being difficult and enter JYD himself. In a tag match pitting Lefebvre & Charland vs Billy Travis & Brett Wayne Sawyer, Tonga viciously attacked Travis once again until JYD made the save, preventing Tonga from doing further damage. In an interview on ACCW TV, JYD said that if Stampede Rush were to defend the titles against Lefebvre & Charland, it needed to happen in a fair context. JYD then suggested to Eddie Graham to chain himself to King Tonga so he wouldn’t have to interfere, which was accepted by Graham The match: King Tonga wasn’t in any hurry to follow the instructions laid out prior to the match and being chained to the neck to Junkyard Dog but after some coercion from JYD, Tonga finally obliged. In the mean time, with Tonga temporarily neutralized at ringside, this allows Stampede Rush to get a fighting chance to successfully defend their titles. However, Charland & Lefebvre proved to be more than a formidable duo as they gave Myers & Brown their money’s worth. With Charland being in dire straits, Tonga seized the opportunity to thrust JYD in the throat, choking him momentarily. Tonga was then able to get rid of the chain and jump in the ring to attack Duke Myers, causing the DQ. Charland & Lefebvre watched on, beating up Kerry Brown while Tonga applied his sadistic nervehold on Myers while officials rushed the ring to stop Tonga. Eventually, Lefebvre & Charland got Tonga off Myers and the trio left the ring. Not the way the tag team champs wanted to end their reign as ACCW Tag Team Champions but they might get their shot at Lefebvre & Charland again down the road.. Winners by DQ: Stampede Rush (retain their title, final champs) MAIN EVENT Match #9 No Disqualification “Gorgeous” Gino Hernandez vs Randy “Macho Man” Savage (w/Miss Elizabeth) The backstory: To say that tension was high between Gino Hernandez and Randy Savage was quite the understatement. For weeks, even months, Gino hinted at a romantic relationship with Miss Elizabeth behind Savage’s back and the more Gino insisted, the more enraged Savage became. And each time Gino would incur the wrath of Savage, he would only flee the first chance he’d get. Things hit a boiling point when during a match between Randy Savage and Jack Brisco, Gino came at ringside to flirt with Liz, who would rebuke his demands, despite Gino’s insistence. However, once Gino planted a kiss on Liz, all hell broke loose and Savage jumped on Gino like a madman. Savage sent Gino, head first on the ringpost, busting him wide open. Gino bragged afterwards that he’d wear that temporary scar as a badge of honor but nothing would honor him more to have Liz by his side. Savage quickly responded that the time for pleasantries was over and they needed to wrestle each other once and for all so this could end. Savage wanted Gino in a No DQ environment at New Year’s Eve Bash and it’s all that Gino could ask for...Especially if it meant that Elizabeth would be there to watch this... The match: As expected, Gino did everything to woo Liz and rile up Randy before the match even started but once the bell rang, all hell broke loose. And also as expected, blood was shed. Both Gino and Randy used everything they would find to their disposal, including their own wrestling gear (wristtape) to get the advantage. Towards the end of the match, using a moment where Savage was temporarily out of commission. Gino asked Liz to climb on the apron, trying to woo her again. However, Savage seeing this, ran in with the high knee but caught referee Bill Alfonso who was in between Savage and Gino. The domino effect sent the ref into Gino, who clocked Liz, who fell down on the floor. Liz grabbed her ankle and removed her shoe, to alleviate the pain. In the meantime, Savage bodyslammed Gino and hit the top rope elbow drop. Savage then gets up and seeing that the ref was still out, Savage asks Liz to hand him something. Liz is struggling to get on the apron and she does so, but with her back turned to the action. Savage seems to lose patience and approaches Liz but as Liz turns around...SHE STABS HIM IN THE EYE WITH THE HEEL OF HER SHOE!!! Savage goes down in a heap as the entire Greensboro Coliseum is in shock. Gino comes to with a big smile on his face, realizing what just happened as Elizabeth stares at the scene with a blank look on her face. Gino doesn’t have much more to do than making the cover and referee Bill Alfonso scores the pinfall for the win. Savage writhes in pain on the floor as Gino rolls out of the ring and escorts Liz out of the arena to a chorus of boos. All of this while Liz keeps a stoic look on her face as the final chapter of Atlantic Coast is closed. What’s in store for Mid-Atlantic??? Winner: “Gorgeous” Gino Hernandez

I guess that makes sense. I mean...Meltzer denied it anyway.

I know that there was a match in the summer of 1985 where Tully beat Magnum for the US title (the one with Baby Doll dressed as a security guard) but I'm not entirely positive of the date. I'm gonna try to find more stuff in the meantime to help you out.

MID-ATLANTIC CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING TITLE HISTORY *All titles previously held in Atlantic Coast Championship Wrestling are vacated and now defunct, as of December 31st, 1984 MID-ATLANTIC HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP Reverend Jimmy Valiant (1/12/85) - Worldwide Wrestling MID-ATLANTIC TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP The British Bulldogs (1/4/85) - House Show in Norcross, GA UNITED STATES HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP The Iron Sheik (1/5/85) - Worldwide Wrestling MID-ATLANTIC TELEVISION CHAMPIONSHIP Jimmy Golden (1/18/85) - House Show Boomer Lynch (1/11/85) - Wins a Fatal 4-Way at Clash of the Champions

I think he is ready. But then again, I share the opinion of many that it's time for the Elite guys to establish themselves as the top stars that they should be for AEW as they try to avoid booking themselves over underneath guys so they can build them. Like you said, Cody is pretty much teflon in AEW in terms of crowd reaction and overness and I think that what happens to Allin after this match depends on how it's booked. If it's a lengthy match that Cody wins by the skin of his teeth, I don't believe that a loss is dramatic for Allin. The challenge for The Elite guys is to find a way to establish themselves as the top draws on the roster while not doing it at the expense of the other potential draws and vice versa.

I think that the only notion that they've made official that Tanahashi will get an AEW title shot if he beats Jericho speaks volumes. I might be naive but you don't throw that around if you didn't somehow have the intent to follow through with this. Especially considering how NJPW handles their business very seriously. I tend to see things like @sek69 that Jericho became the voice of reason to try mending fences between both promotions and this could very well be the start of that. Like @gordi also said, the Elite guys know what they're doing online and they've become very good at blurring lines and keeping us on our toes so this might play a big part of it again. I still believe that AEW (at least, The Elite) are NJPW's best potential partners for the expansion in the US for NJPWoA. Way more than an agonizing promotion like ROH, which NJPW doesn't even seem to give a fuck about nowadays.

Or they could've chosen to not even acknowledge why the match is being postponed and instead use Brandi Rhodes' attack to her eye last week on Dynamite as the kayfabe excuse as to why Kris is wrestling on January 8th instead. I mean, they have to have this play a part in her title match against whoever wins on Wednesday, right?

Also, I think the fact that they dragged that match for most of last night's episode played into the fans' reaction. It's bad enough we have to suffer through King Corbin's push, the idea of dragging this through the entire show was plain stupid by Bruce Prichard. But at least, Miz and Bryan had a banger of a match.

Look, honestly, at that stage, doesn't really bother me if I have Magic Dragon rather than the original Kabuki. So if you want the real Kabuki, no problem, I'll take Magic Dragon and book him as Kabuki anyway.

That's interesting. Is this the way they found to open the channel for a working relationship between AEW & NJPW?

But how many of those tickets were sold with the notion that many who bought the tickets were hoping that The Elite guys would be featured on that card? That's what I'd like to know because I genuinely think that it had a big influence on ticket sales.

Exactly. I had a deal with World Class where I'd get the real Kabuki while World Class's Kabuki would be Magic Dragon (because he didn't have any intentions on using Magic Dragon). Basically, we did it this way because we knew we didn't run the same towns so there wouldn't be any issues with booking. And given I'm not gonna run rain's towns as well, it should work out as well.

Before Austin Aries became the Greatest Man That Ever Lived and Tyler Black morphed into Seth Rollins, these two had a heated rivalry, stemming from Aries' issues with the stable Black was in, The Age of the Fall. Aries became the first 2-time champion in Ring of Honor history while Tyler Black became the one to finally dethrone him in 2010. This is the topic to share your thoughts and opinions on that rivalry

Pat is indeed a great communicator and historian of the business. He was an executive producer on the Andre the Giant HBO doc and he's currently working on his biography to be released somewhere in 2020 or 2021, not sure. He also doesn't hold back when comes time to criticize the current product (especially since he's doing commentary on the Quebec weekly version for RAW) so you can't accuse him of being a shill or anything. Which reminds me that I gotta listen to his podcast more often.

To accomodate the roster cap, Mid-Atlantic will release Angelo Mosca Jr and Pete Doherty

They're so late with the airings of NJPW on AXS on Fight Network that they could still run them for a while. But who knows, maybe they're looking to air more indy content instead.