Stiva

I’m often wrong but I have a feeling they’re going to go with Double or Nothing as the collapse of the Death Riders. Moxley survives tonight but loses in a month and The Opps take the Trios titles. Maybe they do Willow over Marina for good measure. I’m assuming Hangman will be in that mix because it does feel like they’re going with Hangman/Swerve over the World Title. I think it would be a month too far to stay with Moxley since it hasn’t been working since about December but it wouldn’t surprise me if Moxley wins tonight but the show ends with Hangman and Swerve cleaning house as unlikely allies

Lashley vs Hobbs has to be the match down the line. I’ll also except Lashley vs Hangman and I want to see TK roll his WTF dice and give me Lashley vs Ospreay in a random Dynamite main event. For now, the tag spot is good for him while the single spots at the top of the card are occupied. It’s something they should do more often tbh.

It sounds strange but after being very sour on Saraya’s run, I thought it started working right around the time she dropped off TV. I think she could have still had value as a heel manager going forward. And I’m fairly confident that’s what she’ll be doing back in WWE.

The International No 1 Contender matches announced for this week look absolutely insane. OC/Hechicero and, I presume, Speedball/Mortos on Dynamite. Shibata/Ricochet and Davis/Briscoe on Collision. TKs gigantic list of potential matches coming up trumps again

If it’s any credit, I think his stuff with Mox has been the best of it since the whole DR thing began in earnest post-Danielson. I just want to see him in some more left-field matches and feuds. I have an odd interest in seeing him go against Kenny Omega and you have to think that’s a match they’ll do at some point. Also, good to see them packing over 11,000 into the arena for Revolution last night. I’m glad their upswing in quality has improved the live gates because those TV and PPVs were feeling really flat and lifeless for a while

Whole company has been on a run since late last year, I’d say. Not sure if it’s sharpened creative minds, shedding some people who didn’t want to be there or just renewed enthusiasm following the bumper TV deal but long may it continue. I’m very bullish about them getting Josh Alexander too. I think, if they handle him well, he could be a big star on the major stages

Yeah, Starks being close to Cody is probably going to mean he finds his way to the main roster after Mania and stays at a decent level for a while. He’s a good talker and is charismatic so I can see the WWE machine working well with him and getting him over to a good standard. I’m also of the opinion that every time they gave him something to sink his teeth into in AEW, he came up trumps so, as someone who still can’t get into WWE’s presentation of pro wrestling, he’s the one current AEW release that I’m sad to see leave. As for the latest WWE releases, I could see Paul Ellering signing to manage his daughter and it wouldn’t surprise me to see Bea Priestley turn up but I don’t really subscribe to the opinion that Hurt Syndicate need Cedric Alexander back, even though he’s a good worker. They have enough of those and feels like you could do more interesting stuff with the HS with the guys they have on the roster already

It isn’t too late to just pivot to babyface Swerve on top and run Swerve/Hangman in Texas. Pivot Death Riders to the title-less Blood and Guts program and then move Omega, Ospreay, Fletcher and Okada into the Swerve title picture. It really shouldn’t be hard

AEW in Daily’s Place just hits the sweet spot. It just feels right

If people have the time, they should go back and watch the early Dynamite shows. They got away with a LOT due to goodwill and the positive vibes around the promotion. Week to week, I’m not sure the vast majority of acts or the booking was any hotter than it is now. They just had such a wellspring of support due to WWE being so atrociously bad. I watched this weeks Dynamite not long after watching the 2019 Dynamites and both are a far cry away from 21/22 Dynamite. Only difference is that the crowds had remained bigger and hotter for the earlier shows so it all feels more vital. Whatever spark it had, it’s lost but you can get that back again if you strike with the hot hand and the right hand. Unfortunately, rather than having a World Title scene built around the workers people want to see, they’re building it around the coldest acts in the company which is just bizarre

Hurt Syndicate being champs is going to work since they’re on a course towards Brody/Buddy and I’m all in for that

I dug the show as a whole but I third that. They should really be pivoting toward the likes of Swerve, Darby, Hangman, Takeshita, Hobbs, Garcia etc in featured feuds and marquee matches. Obviously, the older guys are still pulling their weight (Jericho aside) but I do hope 2025 is the start of concerted, sustained pushes for their stronger prospects.

So glad he’s back. Now, have him beat Mox and sort the belt out like he did after beating MJF

I take great umbrage with that original Graves tweet because he has never been “fucking awesome” at commentary

Mark Briscoe should absolutely be getting pushed higher than he is. He always, always gets a good response, people are engaged when he speaks and when he works and he has an unbelievable, true life baby face inspiration story that you could do a hell of a lot with. So, obviously they don’t. In lieu of Kingston being the AEW “leader” against Moxley and co, it could have easily been Briscoe

Dead in the water Undisputed Kingdom all in the Casino Gauntlet? Tony, you truly are spoiling me

Copeland/Moxley, while I’m not saying it’s a “big” match is at least one of the more intriguing ones they can do. They’ve never wrestled before and on paper, it’s something I can see people being interested in. I’ve no interest in Copeland’s certain wide-eyed, intense promos that always suck but I am quietly confident about the match itself, if they can stay away from their more plunder-loving instincts. The trigger does need pulled on Darby though. The longer this Death Riders thing goes on, the more damage I’m fearing it’s doing and I’d go with more babyface title holders ASAP

TK should get Kushida into ROH when they get that TV spot, he’d be a fun veteran presence. As for Alexander, I can see him being AEW bound over NXT. He feels like someone that they’d give a strong push to based on him having really good AEW style matches

Must admit, when all of the Starks nonsense came out, it had the stench of some kind of worked nonsense. I see that Super Crazy, Tajiri and Little Guido are working as a trio at their next show so if so, I want to see them working on a random Collision soon

Hasn’t Lio Rush been there twice before and flaked out early? Like, I’d wait a minute before giving him a good push too. There’s plenty to criticise about AEW losing sight of who and how to push but he and Komander aren’t the two sore spots for me. Hologram was doing pretty, pretty well before his injury. Now if we’re talking Mortos not getting his dues, then I can get with you. As for Lashley and Hurt Business, they feel like stars tbh and they need as many as they can get right now. The idea you’d see the reaction Shelton got for his debut and then relegate him to a Chris Daniels ROH spot is wild

Yeah, I’m all in on the Brody singles push. Him as the dude who can team with Darby out of mutual respect to help turn the tide against the Death Riders is good shit. The interminable promo segments less so

Time to get Mark Briscoe on the AEW frontline against Mox. In lieu of Eddie Kingston, he’s the best they’ve got

Needed more mention of Danielson in the early goings but it soon ramped up in an awesome way. John Silver chasing off after the truck wasn’t quite as good as Savage hanging off the back of the nWo limo but it was great nonetheless

If we don’t get the awesome return of Joe to help Hook against the BCC on an episode of Dynamite then this angle is for naught.

I also only just put together the idea of Darby being like his mentor and going after the stable full of rampaging heels