My Top 5 Takeaways From WWE's Monday Night Raw Debut On Netflix.

    Intro.

So a couple of days have gone by, since WWE, and. Netflix's ultimate plunge, took shape, and, well, it was a thing, that's all I can really say. So here are my top 5 Takeaways from the show.

5 Don't believe Everything You Think.

The internet is a weird place. The Rocks Return, has sprung fans into a state of confusion, and um, unrest, because he buried Cody, and then turned face by acting like his bestie friend. His promo was electric, but. I feel some fans are taking things too far. When Roman won the Tribal Combat Match, he placed the Ulufala over his cousins neck, which to me is a set up for what is to come. Dwayne might not be at this years Mania, but overall this is a clever way for someone to play their joker Card. The story must continue.

4 No More. I Can't Take It Anymore.

Ok, the guy i'm going to mention, i'm only talking about is due to the fact the segment was awful. Please WWE, don't put Hulk Hogan on TV again, he stumbled through his words, he can hardly walk, and this awful human being was booed out of the building, due to his racist antics over the past ten years, catching up with him. I bet his beer tastes awful. I mean I hope so.

3 Celebrating With A Deadman.

Rhea Ripley celebrated her championship win with The Undertaker. It happened, umm, ok. I guess. Say it with me everyone. Keep rollin rollin rollin.

2 Brother Meets World.

Topanga, from Boy Meets World was seen sitting next to her brother in law, and all this left me thinking, was. Does Cory know about this. I hear this left Macaulay Culkin shocked.

1 The Last Go Around.

I'm just going to say it. Love him, or hate him. I love John Cena, he may not be a master between the ropes, but on the mic, he's an electric soul, that always delivers. His passion, fire, and, grace for the business, to some, make him wrestlings equivalent to a jar of marmite, but to me, he is, what he says he is. A man who isn't just a catchphrase, he's a walking talking sign, for anything is possible. his time is ending, and it starts now.

My Comparative AEW And NJPW Look Back.

No Intro

The Stark Awakening This Industry Needs.

Even though this weekend saw some excellent Matches, this PPV double header wasn't without its issues. The best fans reception towards females competitors, came from America. Willow Nightingale, and. Athena, are good examples of this, the dice got reversed one night beforehand, when Shota Umino got heat from the fans in attendance, this was placed onto his opponent Zac Sabre Jnr, who the fans were also cold towards.

Grass Is Greener On The Following Night.

The second night saw some genuinely awesome action, two Match of the year contenders, in my opinion, two men battering each other, and of course there's Kenny Omega vs Gabe Kidd, this was miles better than night one. I love wrestling for these moments, and events.

Can NJPW Learn From Their Night 1 Misfires?

Well in short, yes. Nothing is out olf the realm of possibility. In life, you only get what you put into things. NJPW had the best of intentions for this weekend, but if you're going to reignite fans interest, then in my opinion. don't hold two shows back to back, because you need to let your audience have a chance to breathe.

 

My Top 5 Insights From NJPW Wrestle Kingdom.

       Intro 

As the decades have gone on, Time hasn't been kind to NJPW, for a plethora of reasons, but if the new year has taught me anything, it's that you can't stay buried in the past, you have to look to the future, and as I sit here writing this, having just watched the 19th rendition of Their flagship show. I'm coming away from it with a solid sense of hope, that the promotion is going to be ok.

      5 My Big Boy Is In NJPW.

Big bad Josh Barnett is back in NJPW, and should NJPW be scared, well what do you think?

4. Four Way Tag Team Ladder Match For The IGWP Belts Was Insane.

I liked this. The Match between Clark Connors, and Drilla Mohoney, vs The Sweet Boys, vs The Intergalactic Jett Setters vs TJP, and Francesco Akira, in the realm of a Ladder Match, was insane, arguably one of the best Ladder Matches i've seen in ages, man this was cold as ice.

3 NJPW Television Championship Was Great.

El Phantasmo vs Ryohei Oiwa vs Jeff Cobb, vs Ren Narita, and all I have to say is this. Hold my beer, because this had me shouting at my Chromecast. Enough said.

2 Hiroshi Tanashi vs Evil Lumberjack Was A Good Time.

Hiroshi Tanashi, the man, the myth, the legend, this Match was a lot of fun. I love wrestling.

1 Shota Umino vs Zac Sabre Jnr.

Even though this Match wasn't a critical darling, due to the poor crowd response. It did offer up some great physicality, and some absolutely incredible exchanges, which added an element of romance, and drama to proceedings. Zac got the win.

 

My Top 5 Takeaways From NJPW And AEW WrestleDynasty.

    Intro.

As this time of year comes around, what used to be the norm, was to look at what NJPW were going to offer us fans, and this year, that feeling has been ignited in me. I could talk about the down turn that the company has seen in recent years, but that's already been well documented, so i'm going to focus on what was in front of me, because this was a beyond solid card.

5 The Womens 4 way Match For The International Cup.

I liked this. In this Match there was some stand out performances, and the Matches within the Match, like Willow Nightingale vs Persephone, and. Mono Wantanabe vs Athena, made for a fascinating insight, however what we got was a reminder that Womens wrestling isn't just vital, it's needed.

4 Ricochet vs Zac Sabre Jnr.

This. Is. A Match of the year contender, as men both gave everything in order, to create a form of magic, that's difficult to muster up, but these two did it effortlessly. I loved this Match.

3 Katsuyouri Shibata vs Hiroshi Tanahashi.

5 Minutes of two men bombastically smacking the taste out of each others bodies. Perfect, just perfect.

2 Shota Umino vs Claudio Castagnoli.

I don't think this Match gets the love it deserves. My god these guys leathered each other.

1 Kenny Omega vs Gabe Kidd.

This. Is. A Match of the decade contender. This. Was a flawless, majestic, contrast in bloodsoaked storytelling. Both men were a study in contrast. This wasn't one man making another man, it was one man taking another man to the next level. Every hit that Kenny dropped, was performed with ease. Kenny hasn't lost his step, and. Gabe was a perfect foil. Both men battered each other, to the point of no return, dodgy table spots, and unprotected chair shots, all added to the romance of the occasion. Omega got the win, after a fantastic series of incredible exchanges. I think this is one of the best Matches I have ever seen. Hiroshi Tanahashi was in tears at the conclusion of this masterpiece. Pure liquid Gold was created in Tokyo last night, because. Kenny by God Omega is back.

 

My Wrestling Hopes And Fears For 2024.

Intro.

With WWE's  live TV move to Netflix just two days away at the time of writing. I feel that it's important to levy out the playing field. The industry is everchanging, and as the years unfold, the shape of Pro Wrestling will change, and it all starts here. 2025 lets go.

AEW Needs To Come Back To Prominance.

It's no secret, that within the last couple of years. AEW has faced it's form of self implosion, that has wreaked havoc, in the terms of the company creative, and the overall feel, towards how the product is viewed. I want to see them put there best foot forward, and give things a red hot go, because there are things to get excited about, when you dig beneath the surface. Darby Allin potentially winning the main prize. Will Osperay putting on even more earth shattering Matches, and the mouthwatering prospect of Kenny Omega, rematching Kazuchika Okada, and. Gabe Kidd, later this, after this weekend. Oh my brothers and sisters testify, because ALL In, and. Forbidden Door, are starting to look appealing.

My Excitement Levels Are Starting To Reach Fever Pitch.

2025 in the realm of Pro Wrestling, is looking to be very exciting. WWE on Netflix, and. AEW, carving out their own path, in all shapes of the game, not to mention TNA Impact, making significant moves, in there own right. This. Is. Going to be a pivotal year.

Fears

My Fears for this year, come in the way of creativity. Last year, both WWE, and. AEW, showed some pretty sketchy plans, when it came to there creativity. 2025, needs to be a restart year, for both companies.

 WWE On Netflix My Top 5 Takeaways.

      Intro.

With the TV Market everchanging, it's important that studios, and distributors stay ahead of the curb, as multiple competitors, try and vye for our attention, like us consumers are the prettiest girl at the dance. Almost one year ago. WWE announced that their flagship show. Monday Night Raw would be heading to Netflix, with the WWE Network closing down in certain markets, including my neck of the woods, the UK. New Years Day, when I got home from my day job, was a lot of fun.

     Old School PPV's.

Be still my old school Fed loving heart. Every Wrestlemania. Every Royal Rumble, including the one from the year 2000. Near enough all PPV's from this time period. I ate a chinese whilst watching the Royal Rumble 2000, so with that said, you could say, that there's more than one way to get well Fed.

    PLE's And Live TV.

Over here, in my country, were getting every TV show live, and every PLE Live, this means one thing. My intake of sweets, and crisps is going to go through the roof.

     Is It Worth The Hype.

Is it worth the hype, well umm, let me think, Oh my God yes it is. I'm going to have ours of fun with this weekend. I'm going to feel bloated.

AEW Dynamite Fight For The Fallen Review 2.1.2024.

         Intro.

It's 2025, and in this early stage of the year. It's nice to see the wrestling world show its heart, and soul. The area of Ashville in North Carolina, has gone through hell over the past year. From true hardships, to the ever growing show of support. This. Is wrestling in it's purest form.

       New Theme Song.

The Pointer Sisters song. I'm So Excited, is the new theme song for AEW Dynamite, and all I have to say, is that. I'm so excited. I'm so excited. I'm So Excited. I'm so scared. I LOVE YOU JESSIE SPANNO.

Mox Promo.

I loved this. It was visceral. And it was vital. Mox called out Adam Copeland, as he took us on a journey, from the start of AEW, through the pandemic era. to the current day, because as he stands, he wants to takeover the company. Rated FTR, answered this back, right afterwards.

Orange Cassidy vs Hangman Adam Page.

I liked this. The Match was a superb reminder of just how great these guys are. Their physicality was on point, and their chemistry was on another level. The near falls were great, and the final exchange saw. Hangman get the win, and attack Cassidy with two deadeyes. Christopher Daniels tried to intervine, but as a result, he got decked.

Jay White Segment.

Jay White, said that he will beat. Roderick Strong, and. Swerve Strickland, to advance to the Casino Gauntlet Battle Royal. Roderick Strong, and. Swerve answered this back later on, oh and. Happy New Year, to as well Nana.

The Acclaimed vs The Hurt Syndicate.

I didn't like this. The thread of seperation has been done to death, and if i'm honest i'm bored of it. The Match was flat in my opinion, and it never recovered. But at least we were treated to MVP on commentary. Max Castor was choked out by Bobby Lashley. The Hurt Syndicate got the win.

Jamie Hayter vs Julia Hart.

I liked this Match, but. I just feel that there was something. Hart got the win. I know it's a hot take. I just can't get my head around the fact there's something missing from this Match, in my opinion.

Kenny Omega Vingnette.

Kenny Omega is back. Sunday when he faces Gabe Kidd is going to be epic. I can't wait to see It.

Mercedes Mone Segment.

Mercedes Mone, then gas lit the fans, by showing the fans a video, of how great her year was. ( umm ok. She didn't have a great year in the ring ) And on Sunday she's coming for Mina shirakawa's RevPro Championship. I didn't like this segment.

Roderick Strong vs Swerve Strickland vs Jay White.

This. Was electric from the start, all three men managed to weave out a way, to get in their energetic bursts, which allowed the violence of the Match, to become the centrepiece. Ricochet, then became Ricochet Scissor Hands, when he busted open Swerve Strickland, this allowed White to hit Strong with his bladerunner finsher, for the win. Ricchet then continued his attack on Swerve, as the former champion, was left in a bloody mess.

Jeff Jarrett Segment.

This. Was. A stark reminder, that all good things must come to an end. This will be Jeff Jarretts final wrestling contract. He spoke with hope, and passion, as talked about growing up in the business, and how after when WCW folded, he decided to take a chance on himself. And if he's going out, then he wants AEW Gold, the main prize. If this is Jeffs swansong. then so be it. I will miss you mr Slapnuts.

Marieh May Segment.

Marieh May said that she wants the AEW Womens division, to prove themselves to her, if they want a shot at her Championship.

Hook Segment.

Hook called out Christian Cage. Alright i'm bored of this, just get on with it AEW.

Powerhouse Hobbs Match.

Powerhouse Hobbs wrecked a couple of Local Jobbers in a pointless TV Match.

MJF Segment.

In the words of Eminem, will the real MJF please stand up, oh wait he has. I liked this, as he called out Moxley.

Deathriders vs Rated FTR.

I liked this. from the insanity that we got at the end. The superb Matches within the Match, made for a great paradigm shift, as the physicality, and chemistry, from both teams allowed for a story to be told. Rated FTR, got the win after they hit a Shatter Machine, and a spear combo on Wheeler Yuta. Oh and hello Jay White.

Overview Of AEW Dynamite Fight For The Fallen.

With simulcast culture now in full effect, AEW have taken full advantage of how the market is working, and were the industry is heading. This was a decent broadcast, and has deepened my excitement as we head into 2025. Long may this continue.

AEW Dynamite Fight For The Fallen is a high 8/10.