Paul Heyman

 

Paul Heyman

Today's lesson is on one of the most brilliant managers in History Paul Heyman. He is also the driving force behind ECW before Vince McMahon bought it. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2024.

Heyman decided he wanted to work in professional wrestling when he saw Vince McMahon interviewing "Superstar" Billy Graham. He began as a photographer when he was 13 and bought his own photo lab to take photos of pro wrestlers in New York. He published his own newsletter, The Wrestling Times Magazine,and wrote for third-party wrestling publications such as Pro Wrestling Illustrated. At the age of 14, he called Capitol Wrestling Corporation, the parent company of the World Wide Wrestling Federation, and obtained a backstage pass for Madison Square Garden, his first official work in pro wrestling. Posed photographs from this period of Heyman with the WWF's three dominant heel managers of the period, Lou Albano, Fred Blassie and The Grand Wizard were later published by Pro Wrestling Illustrated as evidence that Heyman had studied heel management under the tutelage of the "Three Wise Men".Heyman met Dusty Rhodes at a Jim Crockett Promotions taping, when he entered a production meeting.In 1985, Heyman was hired by New York Studio 54 as a photographer. The same year, he became producer of Studio 54 and hosted the first Wrestle Party 85 show. He called Jim Crockett, who sent Ric Flair, Dusty Rhodes and Magnum T. A. The show featured Bam Bam Bigelow's debut and an award to Flair. At the urging of Bigelow, Heyman made his managerial debut on January 2, 1987, initially appearing on the Northeast independent circuit before moving to a more high-profile stint with Championship Wrestling from Florida in February 1987. There, he joined forces with Kevin Sullivan and Oliver Humperdink, and acquired the name Paul E. Dangerously because of his resemblance to Michael Keaton's character in Johnny Dangerously. After CWF was absorbed by Jim Crockett Promotions, Bigelow brought him to Memphis and the Continental Wrestling Association (CWA) to manage Tommy Rich and Austin Idol in a heated feud with Jerry Lawler, a war which later carried over to the American Wrestling Association (AWA), with the Midnight Express (Dennis Condrey and Randy Rose) taking over for Idol and the face-turned Rich.

The Paul E. Dangerously gimmick was an extension of Heyman's own personality: a brash New Yorker with a yuppie attitude, often seen holding a mobile phone, which was occasionally used as a "foreign object" (according to Heyman, he decided to use the mobile phone as a weapon when he watched Gordon Gekko in Wall Street).[After departing the AWA, Heyman went back to the CWA. Heyman joined with Eddie Gilbert and his wife and valet Missy Hyatt and together they feuded with Lawler before moving on to the Alabama-based Continental Wrestling Federation. Behind the scenes, Gilbert was the head booker of the promotion, and Heyman became his assistant. Heyman was also the head booker for Windy City Wrestling in Chicago and started developing a reputation as being an innovative television writer and producer.

In 1988, Heyman jumped to Jim Crockett Promotions, where Dangerously again managed the Original Midnight Express in a feud with the new Midnight Express (Bobby Eaton and Stan Lane) and their manager, Jim Cornette, as well as managing "Mean" Mark Callous. He settled into the role of an announcer, joining Jim Ross to call the matches on WTBS' World Championship Wrestling and other programming. Heyman admitted he learned more working with Ross than from his previous mentors. While in-between stints in WCW, Heyman went to work for ICW as a writer, but was fired on his first day in the middle of his first TV taping.

In 1991, WCW needed to re-structure its "heels", so Heyman returned to the role of spokesman and ringside manager as the manager of the Dangerous Alliance, with Rick Rude as the centerpiece of the stable. According to Heyman, he and Stone Cold Steve Austin learned their craft from Rude. Heyman led Rude to the United States title and the tag team of Eaton and Arn Anderson to the Tag Team titles. The Dangerous Alliance dominated WCW through most of 1992.

Heyman was fired from WCW after clashes with booker Bill Watts.  In February 1993, Heyman filed a lawsuit against WCW alleging wrongful termination and ethnic discrimination. The lawsuit was settled privately out of court.

After departing WCW, Heyman attempted to start a new promotion in Texas with Jim Crockett Jr. Disagreement arose, however, as Crockett wanted to build a traditional wrestling brand, while Heyman believed traditional wrestling was antiquated and a new take on the genre was needed.

At this time, Eddie Gilbert was a booker for a Philadelphia-based promotion, National Wrestling Alliance (NWA)'s Eastern Championship Wrestling, which he did under the ownership of a local pawn shop owner named Tod Gordon. Heyman came in to help Gilbert teach the younger wrestlers how to perform on interviews,[15] but Gilbert's erratic behavior became too much for Gordon, who had a major falling out with Gilbert right before the UltraClash event on September 18, 1993. From that point forward, Heyman was in charge of the creative direction of the company. As Paul E. Dangerously, he managed a few wrestlers, including Sabu and 911.

A year later, the company was the flagship promotion of the struggling NWA. The NWA World Title Tournament was scheduled to be held in August 1994 for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, at an ECW-hosted event mostly featuring ECW wrestlers. The proposed outcome was the current ECW champion Shane Douglas becoming champion, but Heyman conspired with Douglas and Gordon without the knowledge of NWA president Dennis Coralluzzo to have Douglas (and by extension, ECW itself) publicly denounce the NWA and its "tradition" after winning the tournament. In his post-match speech, Douglas aggressively assaulted the title's lineage, throwing the belt itself down, proclaiming the NWA a "dead organization" and declaring his ECW title a world-level championship. The plan for this shoot screwjob was known only to those three.
commentary by the returning Jerry Lawler.

Heyman was the lead writer for SmackDown! from July 2002 to February 2003. On Heyman's 2014 WWE documentary Ladies and Gentleman, My Name is Paul Heyman, Heyman stated that the SmackDown! brand he was writing was beating Raw in ratings, merchandise and live show attendance during a time McMahon wanted real-life competition between the Raw and SmackDown! brands.

While he was in WWE, Tazz spoke to him about Brock Lesnar, a WWE developmental wrestler. Heyman began mentoring Lesnar, and McMahon decided to make Heyman Lesnar's manager. Heyman helped Lesnar capture the WWE Undisputed Championship 126 days after Lesnar's main roster debut when Lesnar beat The Rock at SummerSlam to also become the youngest WWE Undisputed Champion at the time. At the Survivor Series, Heyman turned on Lesnar and allied himself with Big Show, while helping him win the title from Lesnar in the process.

After McMahon defeated his daughter Stephanie in October 2003 at the No Mercy pay-per-view, the storyline was that she was forced to resign from her position as general manager (GM) of SmackDown!. Heyman returned to television to assume Stephanie McMahon's on-camera role as General Manager. On March 22, 2004, he appeared on Raw to take part in the annual WWE draft lottery. During the show he was drafted to the Raw brand to work for Raw general manager Eric Bischoff. Instead, he decided to "quit" rather than work for Bischoff, the man he cited for the death of ECW by raiding its talent. Heyman was replaced as SmackDown! General Manager by his former client Kurt Angle on March 25.

On July 10, 2005, it was reported that Heyman took over the positions of head booker and writer in Ohio Valley Wrestling, a developmental territory maintained by WWE. It was during this time that he forged a real-life friendship with CM Punk.

instead wanted to have CM Punk win it, a decision McMahon disliked.

This was one of multiple behind-the-scenes creative disagreements between Heyman and McMahon that led to the split, and that Heyman had been overruled on a number of decisions regarding the product over ECW's only pay-per-view under WWE, December to Dismember.McMahon and Heyman clashed in front of several members of the writing team on McMahon's corporate jet the day after the pay-per-view. The argument with McMahon was over a disagreement over the Extreme Elimination Chamber match at December to Dismember. Heyman thought that The Big Show should be eliminated in the Elimination Chamber match by CM Punk via submission, to push the rising star. The Big Show agreed with this idea, wanting to help push Punk's career, but McMahon disagreed, and Punk was ultimately eliminated first. After allegedly turning down an offer from Stephanie McMahon to return to his post writing television for WWE developmental television shows, Heyman officially parted ways quietly with WWE on December 17, 2006.

Heyman brandishing the WWE Championship on behalf of champion CM Punk in December 2012

After a five-year absence following the controversial departure after the December to Dismember PPV in 2006, Heyman returned to WWE on the May 7, 2012 episode of Raw SuperShow as Brock Lesnar's legal advisor, announcing that Lesnar, who returned a month before, had quit the company.Behind the scenes, Heyman had no interest at first in returning to WWE, as he still felt he held bad blood with a lot of the staff, but reconsidered after Lesnar requested his presence after a lackluster promo with John Laurinaitis.The following week on Raw SuperShow, Heyman confronted Triple H, handing him a lawsuit from Lesnar for breach of contract. Triple H responded by shoving Heyman into the ropes, leading Heyman to announce that he would file a lawsuit against Triple H for assault and battery. On the June 18 episode of Raw SuperShow, Heyman declined Triple H's challenge for a match against Lesnar at SummerSlam on Lesnar's behalf. Later that month, Heyman stated that Brock Lesnar would answer Triple H's challenge himself at Raw 1000. Lesnar would go on to defeat Triple H at SummerSlam.

On the September 3 episode of Raw, after CM Punk attacked John Cena, Heyman was seen driving the car Punk had entered. This began an alliance between CM Punk and Heyman. Heyman began accompanying Punk to the ring for his matches and promos. Because of the events of the previous weeks, on the February 11 episode of Raw, Heyman addressed the audience intending to resign from the company. CM Punk, however, convinced Heyman to not only stay with the company, but also to be in Punk's corner at the upcoming Elimination Chamber pay-per-view for his WWE Championship match. Around this time, Heyman quietly cut off his signature ponytail.
Later, CM Punk earned the right to fight The Undertaker at WrestleMania 29 after winning a Fatal Four Way match at Old School Raw. In addition, Heyman's other client Brock Lesnar was booked for a No Holds Barred match against Triple H at WrestleMania, with Triple H's career on the line. At WrestleMania, both of Heyman's clients lost their matches. On the April 15 episode of Raw, Heyman announced Lesnar had challenged Triple H to a steel cage match at Extreme Rules. The following week, Triple H accepted the match and delivered a Pedigree to Heyman. As a response, Lesnar and Heyman invaded the headquarters of WWE and trashed Triple H's office. At Extreme Rules, Lesnar defeated Triple H with the help of Heyman.

Heyman announced Michael McGillicutty as the newest "Paul Heyman guy" on the May 20 Raw and gave him the new name of Curtis Axel. On the May 27 episode of Raw, Heyman appeared on the Highlight Reel with Chris Jericho, where Jericho challenged CM Punk to a match at Payback which Heyman accepted on Punk's behalf. The next week, Heyman and Jericho signed the contract to make it official. The same week on SmackDown, Jericho faced off against Curtis Axel. As Jericho was closing in on the victory, Heyman stood on the announcers table and yelled: "It's clobbering time". Punk's music began to play, distracting Jericho long enough for Axel to pick up the victory. 

At Payback, Heyman coached Axel during his match with Wade Barrett and The Miz for the Intercontinental Championship with Axel winning the match and the title. Heyman accompanied Punk to the ring later in the show for his match with Chris Jericho. After Payback, a WWE.com exclusive video aired with Punk telling Heyman that he is his friend and not his client. On the June 17 episode of Raw, Punk challenged Alberto Del Rio, mentioning that he did not want Heyman managing him anymore. Following Punk's match, he was attacked by Lesnar. The next week on Raw, Punk demanded answers from Heyman, who swore he did not ask Lesnar to attack him. Punk forgave Heyman and then faced Darren Young and, following his win, was attacked by Titus O'Neil until Curtis Axel saved him, to Punk's chagrin. Heyman announced that he would team with Axel against The Prime Time Players the next week, again to Punk's disapproval. 

At Money in the Bank, Heyman betrayed CM Punk, costing him his chance at the Money in the Bank briefcase by hitting him three times with a ladder, knocking Punk off the ladder when he was ascending. On the August 5 episode of Raw, Punk retaliated by choking Heyman while Heyman was in Curtis Axel's corner during a match. This prompted Lesnar to enter the ring and attack Punk. Heyman later challenged Punk to a 1-on-1 match for the next week's Raw, which Punk accepted.However, this was revealed to be a trap when Lesnar appeared prior to the match. The plan was foiled, however, when Heyman dared CM Punk to come into the ring and accept the challenge as CM Punk, who had anticipated the trap and hid under the ring, emerged and attacked Lesnar. However, Punk failed to get his hands on Heyman as Curtis Axel came to Heyman's aid.This led to a match between Lesnar and Punk at SummerSlam, which Lesnar won after interference from Heyman.

Heyman and Axel delivered a brutal assault to Punk on Raw the following week, with Heyman breaking a kendo stick over Punk's back while Punk was handcuffed. Heyman was then booked to team with Axel against CM Punk in an elimination handicap match at Night of Champions. Heyman tried various times to get out of the match, which caused General Manager Brad Maddox to make the match into a no disqualification elimination handicap match. At Night of Champions, Punk eliminated Axel (who had been forced to defend his Intercontinental Championship against Kofi Kingston earlier in the night), leaving Heyman alone with Punk. After receiving a beating from Punk and being placed in handcuffs, just as Heyman did to Punk weeks before, Punk was about to attack Heyman with a kendo stick when Ryback interfered and cost Punk the match by putting Punk through a table.

At Battleground, Punk pinned Ryback after a low blow. At Hell in a Cell, Punk defeated both Ryback and Heyman and after the match attacked Heyman on top of the cell, putting an end to their feud. On the November 11, 2013 episode of Raw, Heyman stated that he was no longer with Ryback as Ryback never officially accepted his proposal to become a "Paul Heyman Guy". After that, CM Punk came out to once again beat Heyman with a kendo stick. The following night on SmackDown, Heyman formally announced to Curtis Axel and Ryback that they were no longer Paul Heyman guys, therefore marking the end of Axel's association with Heyman as he continued to team with Ryback. Heyman returned on the December 30 episode of Raw alongside Brock Lesnar, who attacked Mark Henry. He stood by Lesnar as he feuded with Big Show and The Undertaker in the first four months of 2014. Lesnar ended The Undertaker's undefeated streak at WrestleMania XXX; this was The Undertaker's first loss at a WrestleMania, as he previously had a record of 21 wins.On the Raw following WrestleMania, Cesaro revealed himself to be a "Paul Heyman Guy". Cesaro eventually declared himself no longer a "Paul Heyman Guy" on the July 21 episode of Raw.

After Triple H announced that Randy Orton would challenge John Cena at SummerSlam, Roman Reigns came out and fought with Orton backstage. Heyman then came out and told Triple H to implement "Plan C" which was the return of Lesnar, who would have a match against Cena at SummerSlam. Lesnar defeated Cena at SummerSlam to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.

At the Royal Rumble, Heyman was at ringside when Lesnar retained his WWE World Heavyweight Championship against Cena and Seth Rollins. At WrestleMania 31, Heyman was at ringside when Lesnar defended his title belt against the 2015 Royal Rumble winner Roman Reigns, but Lesnar was unsuccessful as Rollins cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase and made the match a Triple Threat match. Rollins pinned Reigns for the win. The next night on Raw, Lesnar was suspended after he demanded a rematch for the title and attacked several innocent people.

In June, Heyman and Lesnar returned to the WWE after Lesnar was named the No. 1 contender to the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, igniting a feud between Lesnar and Rollins. At Battleground, Lesnar defeated Rollins by disqualification (The Undertaker returned and attacked Lesnar). The Undertaker further explained his actions as revenge, not for defeating the streak but over Heyman's constant taunting. At SummerSlam, Heyman was at ringside when the match between Brock Lesnar and The Undertaker ended in controversy; the bell was rung as The Undertaker tapped out, but the referee did not see it. This allowed The Undertaker to defeat Lesnar after he passed out to the Hell's Gate. At Hell in a Cell, Heyman was present when Lesnar defeated The Undertaker in the rematch, ending their feud.

was denied by Kurt Angle. However, at Hell in a Cell, Heyman appeared as Lesnar interfered with the main event match between Roman Reigns and Braun Strowman. The next day, Heyman appeared on Raw, setting up a triple threat match at Crown Jewel between Brock Lesnar, Braun Strowman, and Roman Reigns for the Universal Championship. However, following Reigns' leukemia announcement, Heyman would instead set up a singles match between Lesnar and Strowman for the now-vacant title at Crown Jewel, a match Lesnar won.

At WrestleMania 35, Heyman came out just after the opening segment, demanding that Seth Rollins fights his client to start off the main card. Lesnar and Rollins appeared thereafter. Lesnar then severely beat up Rollins before the match started. When the match finally started, Rollins ultimately won the match in under 5 minutes, carrying out a low blow when a referee was knocked down, and executing his finisher three times.
In June 2019, WWE announced that Heyman would be the executive director of Raw. Heyman also appeared on SmackDown due to Lesnar being drafted to the brand in the 2019 WWE Draft, but shortly thereafter, Lesnar returned to Raw.


Heyman continued to represent Lesnar up to WrestleMania 36, when Drew McIntyre defeated him for the WWE Championship in quick fashion, at a fan-less event, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Lesnar then opted not to sign a new contract, thus leaving his professional wrestling career in uncertainty due to him becoming a "free agent".

On the August 28, 2020 episode of SmackDown, Heyman aligned with the returning Roman Reigns, portraying the character of his special counsel. Besides his work as manager, Heyman also worked as a creative, deciding the storylines which include Reigns. At the Crown Jewel event in October 2021, Reigns retained the Universal Championship after striking Lesnar with the title belt. Heyman's alliance with Reigns ended on the December 17, 2021 episode of Smackdown after Reigns fired Heyman and attacked him. As Reigns was about to hit him with a steel chair, Lesnar saved him from being attacked.

On the January 3, 2022 episode of Raw, Heyman once again aligned himself with Lesnar after he had won the WWE Championship two days earlier at Day 1.The reunion was short-lived, as three weeks later at the Royal Rumble event, Heyman betrayed Lesnar by handing Reigns the WWE Championship belt to attack Lesnar, allowing Bobby Lashley to win the title from him in the process and re-aligning him with Reigns.Lesnar went on to win the Royal Rumble match and regained the WWE Championship at Elimination Chamber, setting up a Champion vs. Champion Winner Takes All Championship Unification match against Reigns at WrestleMania 38. Reigns defeated Lesnar, thus winning both the Universal and WWE Championships. It was around this time that Heyman would be announced as ‘The Wiseman’ as well as ‘Special Counsel’ to Roman Reigns and the Bloodline. Heyman was by Reigns' side as he beat Cody Rhodes at Wrestlemania 39 in the main event. Reigns' title reign as Universal Champion lasted 1,316 days when he ultimately lost to Rhodes at WrestleMania XL in April 2024. That same year, Heyman was announced as the first 2024 WWE Hall of Fame inductee & was inducted on April 5.

After Reigns' title loss, Heyman turned into a tweener, after his character became innocent after Solo Sikoa, who joined the stable in 2022, took temporary leadership of The Bloodline after exiling Jimmy Uso and inducting Tama Tonga, Tonga Loa, and Jacob Fatu.On the June 28 episode of SmackDown, Heyman was kicked out of The Bloodline after refusing to acknowledge Sikoa as the Tribal Chief, turning Heyman face for the first time since 2006 in the process.

Locked-Up

 

Dear Lord; Our Almighty Heavenly Father And Savior; Jesus Christ,

First off, we of the Rasslin Streams Pro Wrestling Metaverse Prayer Circle pray that tonight’s edition of Monday Night Raw will hopefully be a very RAW-TASTIC of a show. Second, we pray that Paul “Triple H” Levesque and his creative team over at WWE in the Main Roster WILL CONTINUE to book quality weekly shows for Raw so that they can send us and the rest of the WWE Universe home HAPPY as we head towards the road to Bad Blood in Atlanta AND by putting on a COMBUSTIBLE GO-SHOW SHOW. Third, we pray for NO REWRITES and absolutely NO LAST MINUTE CHANGES to the original scripts and the show itself for the red brand IF Mr. Vince McMahon is NOT “in the weeds” of things. Fourth, we pray that WWE WILL continue to properly utilize ALL of their featured male AND female Superstars + the underutilized Superstars that the Red Brand has to offer! Fifth, we pray that Adam Pearce continues to enjoy his role as authority figure in being THE General Manager of the Red Brand that is Raw! Sixth, we pray that we see more of the national treasure himself R-Truth in his Godly element from all these featured entertaining segments… backstage or inside the squared circle over on Raw! Seventh, we continue to pray that Joe Tessitore adjusts himself nicely as RAW’s lead play-by-play commentator as he will call the action throughout the course on the RED BRAND! Seventh, after brawling throughout the show and announcing a LAST MONSTER STANDING MATCH, we pray that we find out who prevails as we see if Braun Strowman and Bronson Reed will ATTEMPT to FRACTURE the arena on Monday Night RAW! Additionally, after interfering in The Miz’s match last week, we pray that we find out if The Miz will get INVOLVED in some CAPACITY as he sets out to prove to everyone that he doesn’t need ASSISTANCE from ANYONE! Eighth, sending a message to CM Punk and mentioning his sister last week, we pray that we find what’s next in the feud the between himself and CM Punk as we see if CHAOS unfolds with SECURITY and OFFICIALS attempt to ISOLATE the SUPERSTARS! Ninth, after SUCCESSFULLY winning his FIRST SINGLEs Championship, we pray that we find out what’s next for NEW Intercontinental Champion Jey Uso as we find out who’s next to step up against the YEET Master himself! Additionally, after making threats to Jey Uso and others, we pray that we find out if The Judgment Day will target their enemies as we’ll see if absolute MAYHEM will break out! Tenth, after announcing Dominick Mysterio hanging from a shark cage, we pray that we find out what’s next for Women’s World Heavyweight Champion Liv Morgan and CHALLENGER Rhea Ripley as we see if their next CONFRONTATION will turn into a FEISTY FELINE CLASH! Additionally, after weeks of being ambushed by Finn Balor and The Judgment Day, we pray that we find out what Damian Priest has in store for his former in arms as we see if “The Archery of Infamy” will DISH OUT some punishment for Finn Balor and the rest of The Judgment Day! Eleventh, after lashing out at Rey Mysterio and the rest of the LWO for interfering in their title match two weeks ago, we pray that we find out if The New Day’s Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston will finally IMPLODE! Additionally, after interfering in the tag team match between, The New Day and The Creed Brothers, we pray that we find out if Kofi Kingston can gain REDEMPTION as he goes one on one with the leader of American Made Chad Gable!

And FINALLY, we pray for some ALL-OUT BRAWLS to break out sometime during the show, and we hope AND pray for ALSO an OUT-OF-CONTROL CHAOTIC Main Event on the show in the process as well overall!

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. As we pray… AMEN!

Personal Prayer:

After sending NUMEROUS POSTS on social media, mostly on X (FKA Twitter), to the WWE and towards the CURRENT WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque, I personally pray that my posts on social media are READ and are TAKEN to CAREFUL CONSIDERATION as a fan of Professional Wrestling! AMEN!

SNAP! OWENS! SNAP!

Dear Lord; Our Almighty Heavenly Father And Savior; Jesus Christ,

First off, we of the Rasslin Streams Pro Wrestling Metaverse Prayer Circle pray that tonight’s edition of Friday Night SmackDown will hopefully be a very SMACKED DAB of a show. Second, we pray that Paul ``Triple H” Levesque and his creative team over at WWE in the Main Roster WILL CONTINUE to book quality weekly shows for SmackDown so that they can send us and the rest of the WWE Universe home HAPPY as we head towards the road to BAD BLOOD in ATLANTA AND by putting on a STUPENDOUS show! Third, we pray for NO REWRITES and absolutely NO LAST MINUTE CHANGES to the original scripts and the show itself for the blue brand IF Mr. Vince McMahon is NOT “in the weeds” of things. Fourth, we pray that WWE WILL continue to properly utilize ALL of their featured male AND female Superstars + the underutilized Superstars that the Blue Brand has to offer! Fifth, we pray that Nick Aldis continues to enjoy his role as authority figure in being THE General Manager of the Blue Brand that is SmackDown! Sixth, after SUCCESSFULLY retaining the United States Championship last week, we pray that we find out what’s next for CHAMPION LA Knight as we find out who is next in line for a TITLE SHOT! Additionally, after being CONFRONTED by Carmelo Hayes after his loss last week, we pray we find out who PREVAILS in the series as we see if these TWO SUPERSTARS will settle their difference ONCE and for ALL! Seventh, after simultaneously pinning WWE Women’s Champion Nia Jax last week, we pray that we find out who will earn their title shot at BAD BLOOD as Bayley goes one on one with Naomi! Additionally, after failing to prevent a title match at BAD BLOOD for the WWE Women’s Championship, we pray that we find out if CHAMPION Nia Jax can trust Ms. Money in the Bank Tiffany Stratton as she countlessly teases on CASHING -IN! Eighth, after losing to Apollo Crews again for a second time, we pray that we find out what’s next for Apollo Crews and Vinci as we see if Apollo Crews will RETALIATE against the Italian SUPERSTAR! Ninth, coming to the aid Kevin Owens, Street Profits and DIY, after a HELLACIOUS six man tag team match against The Bloodline, we pray that we find what’s next in this WAR between WWE Champion Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns and The Bloodline as we see if Kevin Owens will finally SNAP on his friend for teaming with his MORTAL ENEMY! Additionally, after both The Streets Profits and DIY have joined the fight against Bloodline, we pray that we find out which other SUPERSTARS step up to enter the FRAY as we see if a RIOT IMPLODES! Tenth, after making his return and helping Kevin Owens against A-Town Down Under two weeks prior, we pray that we find out what Randy Orton thinks of his friend WWE Champion Cody Rhodes teaming with Roman Reigns against Solo Sikoa and The Bloodline as we see if The Viper will finally SNAP as well or be a WILLING ally in The fight against Solo Sikoa and The Bloodline! Eleventh, after announcing a DUMPSTER match in two weeks, we pray that we find out what’s next for Mia “Michin” Yim and Chelsea Green as we see if these two women will COLLIDE beforehand! Additionally, after being outnumbered by Chelsea Green and Piper Niven, we pray that we find out if Mia “Michin” Yim will be have some REINFORCEMENTS in some CAPACITY as we see who comes to the aid of Mia “Michin” Yim!

And FINALLY, we pray for some ALL-OUT BRAWLS to break out sometime during the show, and we hope AND pray for ALSO an OUT-OF-CONTROL CHAOTIC Main Event on the show in the process as well overall!

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. As we pray… AMEN!

Personal Prayer:
After sending NUMEROUS POSTS on social media, mostly on X (FKA Twitter), to the WWE and towards the CURRENT WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque, I personally pray that my posts on social media are READ and are TAKEN to CAREFUL CONSIDERATION as a fan of Professional Wrestling! AMEN!

Guyver Season Three: Episode 15

15. Remember Me
Sean and Mizky have grown distant after encountering Sean’s evil counterpart. Worsening matters, she finds out the real reason Sean has been distant as he doesn’t want to end up like Balcus in the near future. Meanwhile Merrick, Melanie and Vash follow Mel to a concert where Melanie and Merrick reunite with Krillin, and Charlene who is also there for a special assignment by Jericho. During the concert, Mel finds out that Zektor is at the exact same concert and decides to cross off her hit list. Back at Zeus, Mel’s commanding officer, tells Sean and the rest of the team that Mel is here for Vengeance as he did not know this was going to happen. Back at the concert, Zektor sees the trio ordering an attack on the concert. Chronos' Agents reveal themselves and start shooting up the concert. During the chaos, Mel and Melanie escape the concert as Chronos' Agents give chase. Krillin goes after Zektor as two Chronos Agents attempt to intervene, but are stopped by Vash and Merrick. The two get the upperhand until the mysterious warrior arrives and takes out Vash. Krillin who’s still dealing with Zektor finally kills the Hyper-Zoanoid with his Destructo Disk. Meanwhile the fight continues in the backstage area as Merrick is able to dispatch the two Chronos Agents, but is attacked by Sean Balcus who takes his Guyver Zoanoid form. Merrick attempts to fight back, but Sean’s evil counterpart deems too much. Seeing Mel and Melanie escape, Merrick decides to make the ultimate sacrifice as Mel and Melanie witness Sean seemingly kill Merrick. Towards the episode's end, Melanie becomes heartbroken as Mel walks off in rage giving her more incentive to kill Sean’s evil counterpart.

Jacqueline

 

Todays lesson is on Jacqueline who is a legend in her own right . She became first African American WWE Cruiserweight champion as well as being one of three women to hold the championship.

Jacqueline defeated Sable on Monday Night Raw to win the vacant WWF Women’s Championship – the first champion since the belt was infamously thrown in the trash by Madusa on WCW Nitro.

She began her career in World Class Championship Wrestling, but was well known in the United States Wrestling Association, where she was a fourteen-time USWA Women's Champion. She later moved to World Championship Wrestling, where she briefly managed the team Harlem Heat. In 1998, she joined the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, later World Wrestling Entertainment). She began managing Marc Mero and had her first rivalry with Sable, which culminated in the re-establishment of the WWF Women's Championship, which Moore held twice during her time with the WWF. In 1999, she formed an all-female alliance with Terri Runnels and Ryan Shamrock called the Pretty Mean Sisters. In the early 2000s, Moore worked as both a referee and trainer for the WWF, and she also held the WWE Cruiserweight Championship, which was a title predominantly held by men. She was the third woman to accomplish the feat, but the only woman to do so under the WWE banner (following Madusa and Daffney in WCW). In 2004, she joined TNA, where she worked mostly as a manager and occasional wrestler.

Moore later moved on to the United States Wrestling Association in Memphis, where she was known as Miss Texas.[9] She made her debut as a Heel Valet to Eric Embry and Tom Prichard as part of team Texas during the Texas vs Tennessee feud. She was later involved in a feud with the Dirty White Girl Kim Anthony and was involved in a Mudpit Match and a Hair vs Hair match which Anthony won and in the latter Moore had her hair shaved off. She was the first ever USWA Women's Champion, winning the newly created title in a tournament on March 2, 1992. Between March 1992 and August 1996, Moore held the title a total of eight times, swapping it with Lauren Davenport, Luna Vachon, and Debbie Combs.  In 1993, Moore became the first female to be included in the Pro Wrestling Illustrated 500, detailing the top 500 professional wrestlers in the world. 

In 1995, Moore became involved in a feud with the valet of Reggie B. Fine and Don Bass, Sweet Georgia Brown. Brown was jealous of Texas after the USWA aired a music video of Moore, and they were involved in several catfights. Later in 1995, Moore feuded with Uptown Karen, the lover of Downtown Bruno. During the feud, Moore formed an alliance with former foe Sweet Georgia Brown. The Miss Texas/Uptown Karen feud culminated in a Hair vs. Hair match which was won by Texas. She also competed in Herb Abrams's Universal Wrestling Federation, winning the promotion's women's title in 1994. In late 1993, she appeared in a Jeff Jarrett promo for the WWF where Jarrett would be criticizing a young man's singing voice.

Through the WWF's partnership with the USWA Jacqueline was scheduled to debut in the WWF under the name Wynonna as a manager for Jeff Jarrett. Jackie filmed vignettes, but she left the WWF before debuting, due to an injury. She also appeared in the February 1994 edition of the then WWF Magazine.

Moore joined Smoky Mountain Wrestling in October 1995 under the name Sgt. Rock and joined Jim Cornette's Militia, which included Tommy Rich, Robert Gibson, Terry Gordy, and The Punisher. However, her stint in SMW didn't last, as the company folded at the end of November.

Moore began submitting pictures of herself to the Atlanta, Georgia-based World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and was eventually contacted by WCW employee J. J. Dillon, who offered her a contract. Jacqueline debuted in WCW as the manager of Kevin Sullivan, and she helped Sullivan by body slamming his opponents.She aided Sullivan in his feud with Chris Benoit and feuded with Sullivan's ex-wife, Woman. Her alliance with Sullivan came to an end at Bash at the Beach 1997, when she smashed a wooden chair over Sullivan's head causing him to lose a Loser Must Retire bout to Chris Benoit. At Road Wild on August 9, Jacqueline became the manager of Harlem Heat. She later engaged in a brief feud with Disco Inferno, whom she defeated at Halloween Havoc on October 26.

Moore rejoined the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in mid-1998, debuting on the June 1 episode of Raw as the new on-screen girlfriend of Marc Mero  to later began a feud with the estranged wife of Mero, Sable.  Sable defeated Moore in a bikini contest on July 26, 1998, at Fully Loaded: In Your House after Sable removed her halter top to reveal a painted on bikini top.WWF Chairman Vince McMahon, however, disqualified Sable for not wearing a traditional bikini, and Moore was declared the winner.Moore and Mero were defeated by Sable and Edge on August 30 at SummerSlam. On the September 14, 1998, episode of Raw, she would also wrestle Sable in a controversial evening gown match which saw one of her breasts exposed.

In September with the revived WWF Women's Championship on the line (the Women's Championship had been abandoned in December 1995),Moore defeated Sable to become the new champion, and the first African-American Women's Champion. Two months later at Survivor Series, Sable defeated Moore to become the new champion.

 Dean Malenko for the WWF Light Heavyweight Championship, in which she was unsuccessful. In January 2001 during a match against Lita, both women attacked Right to Censor member Ivory, who was on commentary that night criticizing the women's division. Later on that year, Jacqueline starred in the first season of the WWF's reality show Tough Enough as a trainer alongside Al Snow, Tazz and Tori.

In late 2001, she took part in the Six Pack Challenge for the vacant WWF Women's Championship on November 18 at Survivor Series, which was won by Trish Stratus. Several weeks later, Moore challenged Stratus for the title at Vengeance. Stratus won the match after surprising Moore with a backslide pin

In 2002, Moore became a referee, with her debut match being a Women's Championship bout between Jazz and Trish Stratus at the Royal Rumble. In late 2002, she and Stratus began a feud with Victoria, leading to a Triple Threat match at Armageddon, in which Victoria retained the title. In 2003, the return of Jazz culminated in a Four-Way match for Jazz's title at Judgment Day on May 18, 2003, which Jazz won.

Moore seldom appeared throughout late 2003 and early 2004. On the May 6, 2004, episode of SmackDown!, WWE Cruiserweight Champion Chavo Guerrero Jr. issued an open challenge for anyone to face him for his title, and Moore defeated him to become the champion. She lost the championship back to Guerrero at Judgment Day in a match where his arm was tied behind his back.  The company released Moore in June 2004 when the creative team could not come up with any storylines for her character. 

In June 2005, she had a match with the Independent Association of Wrestling (IAW) against Vanessa Harding. On June 25, she defeated Harding and Crystal Carmichael to win the IAW Women's Championship. In March 2006, she also competed in Mexico.

Moore debuted in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling as a babyface at the Victory Road pay-per-view on November 7, 2004, losing a singles match to the villainous Trinity.  She made a second appearance with TNA on December 5 at Turning Point, where she refereed a tag team match between Pat Kenney and Johnny B. Badd against Johnny Swinger and Glenn Gilberti. 

On June 13, 2011, Moore returned to TNA as ODB's new tag team partner at the tapings for the June 16 episode of Impact Wrestling, with the two promising to clean up the Knockouts division.Both of them were billed as not being under contract with TNA. The following week Jackie and ODB defeated Velvet Sky and Ms. Tessmacher in a tag team match.On June 28 at the tapings of the July 7 episode of Impact Wrestling, Sky defeated both Jackie and ODB in a two-on-one handicap match, forcing both of them out of TNA as per stipulation of the match.However, Jacqueline, along with ODB, returned to Impact Wrestling on July 21, once again attacking Velvet Sky prior to her match with Mickie James for the TNA Women's Knockout Championship. 

They would eventually be attacked by the returning Traci Brooks, before being escorted out of the arena by police officers.[46] On the August 18 edition of Impact Wrestling, Jacqueline and ODB changed their attitudes, abandoning their villainous antics, in order to first get contracts with the promotion. After several weeks of working as babyfaces, Jacqueline and ODB were signed to contracts by the new head of the Knockouts division, Karen Jarrett, on the August 25 episode of Impact Wrestling, and later teamed with Velvet Sky to defeat Angelina Love, Sarita and Rosita. However, Jacqueline would not make any more appearances, before announcing on November 28 that her TNA contract had expired.

Jacqueline returned to TNA on March 17, 2013, at one of their One Night Only pay-per-views, Knockouts Knockdown (which aired on September 6, 2013). Jacqueline began turning heel by trash-talking her opponent, Taryn Terrell, while defeating her to advance to the Gauntlet Battle Royal, where Jacqueline cemented her heel turn by attacking former partner ODB, who later eliminated Jacqueline. Two days later, the villainous Jacqueline faced off against ODB at Hardcore Justice 2 (which aired on July 5, 2013), in a Hardcore match, coming out on the losing end.

On March 14, 2016, it was announced that Moore would be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2016. At the ceremony on April 2, she was inducted by The Dudley Boyz, and became the first black woman to be inducted.The next night at WrestleMania 32, she appeared while she was introduced as part of the 2016 Hall of Fame class.

On the January 22, 2018, episode of Raw, Jacqueline was honored being "one of the greatest female superstars in the history of WWE" and made a special appearance as part of the 25th anniversary of Raw along with fellow wrestlers and former co-workers; The Bella Twins, Maryse, Kelly Kelly, Lilian Garcia, Torrie Wilson, Michelle McCool, Terri Runnels, Maria Kanellis, and fellow Hall of Famer Trish Stratus. On January 28 at the Royal Rumble, Jacqueline made a surprise entrance at number 21 during the first women's Royal Rumble match, in which she was eliminated by Nia Jax. 

Jacqueline appeared at SummerSlam (2024) as a part of the WWE Legends Suite alongside other legends including Diamond Dallas Page and Kevin Nash. On September 6, 2024 it was revealed Jacqueline had signed a legends contract, making her an ambassador for WWE

Eyes On The Prize

Dear Lord; Our Almighty Heavenly Father And Savior; Jesus Christ,

First off, we of the Rasslin Streams Pro Wrestling Metaverse Prayer Circle pray that tonight’s edition of Monday Night Raw will hopefully be a very RAW-TASTIC of a show. Second, we pray that Paul “Triple H” Levesque and his creative team over at WWE in the Main Roster WILL CONTINUE to book quality weekly shows for Raw so that they can send us and the rest of the WWE Universe home HAPPY as we head towards the road to Bad Blood in Atlanta AND by putting on a THRILLING Season Premiere Red Branded SHOW. Third, we pray for NO REWRITES and absolutely NO LAST MINUTE CHANGES to the original scripts and the show itself for the red brand IF Mr. Vince McMahon is NOT “in the weeds” of things. Fourth, we pray that WWE WILL continue to properly utilize ALL of their featured male AND female Superstars + the underutilized Superstars that the Red Brand has to offer! Fifth, we pray that Adam Pearce continues to enjoy his role as authority figure in being THE General Manager of the Red Brand that is Raw! Sixth, we pray that we see more of the national treasure himself R-Truth in his Godly element from all these featured entertaining segments… backstage or inside the squared circle over on Raw! Seventh, we continue to pray that Joe Tessitore adjusts himself nicely as RAW’s lead play-by-play commentator as he will call the action throughout the course on the RED BRAND! Eighth, after spearing Intercontinental Champion Bron Breakker last week, we pray that we find out who walks away in this championship match between CHAMPION Bron Breakker and CHALLENGER Jey Uso as we find out if Jey Uso can FINALLY win his first singles championship. Additionally after sticking up for Rhea Ripley backstage, we pray that we find if Jey Uso can keep his focus on The Intercontinental Championship as we see if The Judgment Day will also get involved in some CAPACITY! Ninth, after confronting Ludwig Kaiser and World Heavyweight Champion GUNTHER, we pray that we find out if “The Ring General” will FINALLY accept Sami Zayn’s challenge as the latter goes one on one with Ludwig Kaiser! Additionally, after teasing DISSENSION between Ludwig Kaiser and World Heavyweight Champion GUNTHER, we pray that we find if Sami Zayn’s advice will take effect as we shall see if Ludwig Kaiser will get out from “The Ring General’s” SHADOW! Ninth, after assaulting The Terror Twins last week in Damian Priest’s match with Dominick Mysterio, we pray that we find which superstars from the RAW Roster will step up to help even the odds against The Judgment Day as we shall see if Damian Priest and Rhea Ripley will WAGE WAR against their former faction! Additionally, after THREATENING Ilja Dragonuv last week, we pray that we find out if “The Mad Dragon” will join the fight along with the LWO to help combat The Judgment Day! Tenth, after brawling throughout the arena last week, we pray that we find out what’s next for Braun Strowman and Bronson Reed as we see if they continue to FRACTURE the Red Brand! Eleventh, after being unable to win the World Tag Team Championships last week, we pray that we find out what’s next for Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston of The New Day as we shall see if The New Day will truly COLLAPSE! Twelveth, after sending a message to Drew McIntyre last week and announcing his RETURN, we pray that we find out what “The Scottish Warrior” will have to say as we see if RAW GM Adam Pearce will ATTEMPT to keep this PARTICULAR segment as CIVIL as possible!

And FINALLY, we pray for some ALL-OUT BRAWLS to break out sometime during the show, and we hope AND pray for ALSO an OUT-OF-CONTROL CHAOTIC Main Event on the show in the process as well overall!

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. As we pray… AMEN!

Personal Prayer:

After sending NUMEROUS POSTS on social media, mostly on X (FKA Twitter), to the WWE and towards the CURRENT WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque, I personally pray that my posts on social media are READ and are TAKEN to CAREFUL CONSIDERATION as a fan of Professional Wrestling! AMEN!

OTC and American Nightmare: Dawn Of Justice

Dear Lord; Our Almighty Heavenly Father And Savior; Jesus Christ,


First off, we of the Rasslin Streams Pro Wrestling Metaverse Prayer Circle pray that tonight’s edition of Friday Night SmackDown will hopefully be a very SMACKED DAB of a show. Second, we pray that Paul ``Triple H” Levesque and his creative team over at WWE in the Main Roster WILL CONTINUE to book quality weekly shows for SmackDown so that they can send us and the rest of the WWE Universe home HAPPY as we head towards the road to BAD BLOOD in ATLANTA AND by putting on a STUPENDOUS show! Third, we pray for NO REWRITES and absolutely NO LAST MINUTE CHANGES to the original scripts and the show itself for the blue brand IF Mr. Vince McMahon is NOT “in the weeds” of things. Fourth, we pray that WWE WILL continue to properly utilize ALL of their featured male AND female Superstars + the underutilized Superstars that the Blue Brand has to offer! Fifth, we pray that Nick Aldis continues to enjoy his role as authority figure in being THE General Manager of the Blue Brand that is SmackDown! Sixth, after being challenged by WWE Women’s Champion Nia Jax and Ms. Money in the Bank Tiffany Stratton, we pray we shall see if this tag team match will turn into a FEISTY FELINE CATFIGHT as we see if who gets the title shot at BAD BLOOD and who gets BOOTED off the Blue Brand! Additionally, after teasing DISENSION, we pray that we find out if Tiffany Stratton will eventually CASH-IN on WWE Women’s Champion Nia Jax as we see if The Queen and The Princess will finally ERUPT! Seventh, after defeating Carmelo Hayes and EARNING a shot at the United States Championship Match last week, we pray that we find out who comes out as United States Champion in the CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH between CHAMPION LA Knight and CHALLENGER Andrade El Idolo as we see if Carmelo Hayes will get INVOLVED in some CAPACITY! Eighth, after RETURNING to help Kevin Owens against A-Town Down Under, we pray that we find out what’s next for both Randy Orton and Kevin Owens, whether it be PURSUING the WWE Tag Team Championship currently being held by The Bloodline’s Tama Tonga and Tonga or continuing the fight against Solo Sikoa and The Bloodline as a whole! Additionally, after losing to Randy Orton and Kevin Owens last week, we pray that we find out what’s next for the team of Grayson Waller and Austin Theory as we see if A-Town Down Under will finally IMPLODE! Ninth, after Solo Sikoa and Jacob Fatu challenged Roman Reigns and Cody Rhodes to a Tag Team Match at Bad Blood, we pray that we find out what next between the two teams as we see if this feud will DEVOLVE into some sort of WAR involving SECURITY and OFFICIALS attempting to separate the two sides! Additionally, as the numbers game is in The favor of The Bloodline, we pray that we find out who else will join WWE Universal Champion Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns in the fight against Solo Sikoa and The Bloodline! Tenth, after making their intentions known on a WWE exclusive video, we pray that we find out what DIY’s Tomasso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano have in store for The Bloodline as we see if they help WWE Universal Champion Cody Rhodes and Roman even up the numbers game! Eleventh, after confronting the WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions Bianca Belair and Jade Cargil backstage, we pray that we find out what’s next of the WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions as we find out who their next Challengers are!


And FINALLY, we pray for some ALL-OUT BRAWLS to break out sometime during the show, and we hope AND pray for ALSO an OUT-OF-CONTROL CHAOTIC Main Event on the show in the process as well overall!

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. As we pray… AMEN!

Personal Prayer:

After sending NUMEROUS POSTS on social media, mostly on X (FKA Twitter), to the WWE and towards the CURRENT WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque, I personally pray that my posts on social media are READ and are TAKEN to CAREFUL CONSIDERATION as a fan of Professional Wrestling! AMEN!

ALL-OUT 2024

All Elite Wrestling "ALL OUT 2024"

Venue: Now Arena, Hoffman Estates, Illinois

After ALL-IN  there is ALL OUT! Welcome CTA Passengers and Wrestling Fans all over the world to our Review of the latest All Elite Wrestling Premium Live Event. We (Chris and Tiki) welcome you to another Review here on CTAExpress. make yourself comfortable, grab a cold or hot beverage and join us for our Review of AEW’s ALL OUT PLE. Ready, Set, GO!

Singles Match

MJF defeated Daniel Garcia via Pinfall (23:40)

Chris/Jey says: The opening contest of the night was the grudge match between the returning Daniel Garcia and MJF. This feud started back when MJF viciously attacked Garcia the night after MJF returned. Garcia returned at ALL-IN costing MJF the International Championship. I loved the build-up as both superstars took personal shots at each other. The Match itself could’ve been better, cause I fully expected Garcia to come out the victor. Curious to see how this feud continues as well.

Tiki says: and here we go! ALL OUT starts with a match between MJF and Daniel Garcia, which had a pretty good build up, if we look back how this all started. Garcia made his return at the ALL IN Premium Live Event in London a few weeks ago and helped Will Ospreay to fight of MJF and reclaim the International Championship. Going into this match I fully expected Garcia to win against MJF but.. Things went a little bit different, MJF was the winner this evening. Lets see if this feud will now continue over the next weeks/months.  

Chris/Jey Rating: 3 out 5

Tiki Rating: 3,5 out of 5 

AEW World Tag Team Championship Match

The Young Bucks (C) defeated Blackpool Combat Club (Claudio Castagnoli and Wheeler Yuta) via Pinfall (15:45)

Chris/Jey says: The second match saw the EVP’s retain the AEW World Tag Team Championship against The Blackpool Combat Club’s Claudio Castagnoli and Wheeler Yuta. Young Bucks have ruled over AEW’s Tag Team Division for years. It was nice to see them face a new challenger besides FTR. It was also nice to see Claudio Castagnoli and Wheeler Yuta being pushed. The overall match was off the charts as Wheeler Yuta proved why he belongs in a high profile match. This match also connects to the championship match later on in the night, but will get to that later. Unfortunately, the Blackpool Combat Club were unable to become double champs.

Tiki says: Second Match of the Night and it was already time for the EVP’s of AEW to step inside the Ring. The Young Bucks one of the best Tag Teams in the World over the last couple of years when it comes to style, gimmick and performing inside these ropes will face off against the Blackpool Combat Club with Claudio Castagnoli and Wheeler Yuta trying to win the AEW World Tag Team Championship. It was a good tag team match, especially Wheeler Yuta proved again why he is one for the future of AEW with his style and his will to perform at the highest level. The Young Bucks retained their Tag Team Gold and will now move on to the next Challengers which will be crowned in a Tag Team Gauntlet Match at Dynamite. (it has already happened.. But no spoiler from my side). 

Chris/Jey Rating: 4 out 5 Yuta Slaps

Tiki Rating: 4 out of 5 EVP Trigger

International Championship Match

Will Ospreay (C) defeated Pac via Pinfall (20:20)

Chris/Jey says: Okay where to begin with the match. This was one of the two matches that had my interest. It was like watching a Martial Arts movie as both competitors gave it their all. This was definitely the right decision as Will Osprey retained the International Championship as the Aerial Assassin won it back at ALL-IN. This really had me glued to my seat as PAC was portrayed somewhat of the heel (No Surprise Here. Regardless this was a fast past technical match as Osprey finished PAC with the hidden blade. 

Tiki says: Banger Alert! Please make sure you watch this match if you read this! Ok, back to the Review, the match between Will Ospreay and PAC for the International Championship was already great on paper, but these two actually had one of the best matches this year in my opinion with the right choice in Will Ospreay retaining the International Championship that he won back at ALL-IN London. It was a very fast paced and technical match with both superstars exceed expectations. I really hope we get another match between these two in the future because it was indeed (with the words of WWE Superstar Sheamus) a BANGER. 

Chris/Jey Rating: 5 out 5 Bruvs

Tiki Rating: 5 out 5 Bruvs

Chicago Street Fight

Kris Statlander (w/ Stokely Hathaway) defeated WIllow Nightingale via Submission (15:00)

Chris/Jey says: Loved this match, as former Tag Team Partners and best friends went to war. This was well booked with months of TREMENDOUS build-up. The Chicago Street Fight lived up to the name overall. I didn’t expect these two women to choreograph a perfect match. This match exceeded my expectations as we were able to see blood and a lot of hardcore stuff during this match up. Noted, this was the second of two of the matches that had interested me. I don’t know what’s next in for Kris Statlander nor Willow Nightingale, but we’re definitely in for a tiebreaker match as they’re at one a piece in wins.

Tiki says: The feud between the former Tag Team and best friends Kris Statlander and Willow Nightingale is in my opinion one of the best booked currently in professional wrestling. With that being said, these two ladies gave us an amazing Chicago Street Fight and a perfect overall Match. It was one of those matches, you know it will be good but it was way better than expected. I don’t know what is next for Kris Statlander and Willow Nightingale but i really hope these two will meet again inside a wrestling ring in the near future.  

Chris/Jey Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

Tiki Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

AEW Continental Championship 4-Way Match

Kazuchika Okada (C) defeated Mark Briscoe, Orange Cassidy and Konosuke Takeshita (w/ Don Callis) via Pinfall (15:00)'

Chris/Jey says: This was a very interesting championship match for the AEW Continental Championship. Kazuchika Okada has been doing an excellent job as part of The Elite. In my point of view this match came out as random without any storyline. The match itself was good overall, but build up wise, I felt that they could’ve built it up better. I thought there was going to be a title change here as both Orange Cassidy came close to regaining the championship. It was too predictable as well as Okada was able to retain. My second choice to dethrone the Rainmaker was “The Alpha” Konosuke Takeshita, a member of the Don Callis family. As he was almost close to winning his first singles championship.

It’s going to be interesting now as it looks like Takeshita will be feuding with Okada. It will also be interesting to see the interaction between Don Callis and The Young Bucks giving the history. It also looks like the entire Don Callis will be turning face. 

Tiki says: a very interesting match up for the AEW Continental Championship is next. Kazuchika Okada is doing a great job as Champion representing the Elite. First I was not sure if this would work but I must say AEW, Okada and the Young Bucks proved me wrong here and I actually like the “new” Okada. The Continental Champion had to defend the Championship against 3 other Superstars in this match, with one Superstar I will write a few extra words after the review. Overall it was a very good match with nice twists and turns and some very nice action inside and outside the ring. My pick before the match was 50:50 between Takeshita and Okada and for a second I really believed that a title change could be happening here, but Okada made sure that it didn’t happen. And still your AEW Continental Champion “the Rainmaker” Kazuchika Okada.

As mentioned… I would like to write a few special words about Takeshita. For me a feud between Okada and “the Alpha” Konosuke Takeshita is the next step for the Continental Championship. AEW has a very good opportunity here. Two of the faces of Japanese Wrestling would compete for a Championship and could give us a great feud with the involvement of Don Callis and the Young Bucks.  

Chris/Jey Rating: 4 out 5 Rainmaker

Tiki Rating: 4 out of 5 Rainmaker

TBS Championship Match

Mercedes Mone (C) defeated Hikaru Shida via Pinfall (16:30)

Chris/Jey says: HOLY SHIDA! The CEO defeated the ACE of All Elite Wrestling to retain the TBS Championship. It was very good match as we saw both ladies putting on a clinic. At one point Kamile got ejected, in miraculous work, Mercedes Mone was able to retain the TBS Championship even without her bodyguard. I didn’t expect a pinfall finish and I didn’t expect this to go down somewhat clean. I fully expected Britt Baker to come to the aid of Hikaru Shida. My question is which AEW Original steps up next to challenge Mercedes Mone for the TBS Championship.

Tiki says:The CEO vs. the ACE of All Elite Wrestling… Mercedes Mone vs. Hikaru Shida. I expected a lot because I know how good both ladies can wrestle and it was a very good match! With Kamile being banned from Ringside the focus was on Mercedes Mone, can she retain the TBS Championship without help against a very good opponent? It was a very fast paced match with a lot submission attempts from both Superstars and I must be honest here I didn't expect a pinfall finish. The question is now, what is next for the CEO? After defeating two of the AEW Originals, who will step up? 

Chris/Jey Rating: 4 out 5 CEO’s 

Tiki Rating: 4 out of 5 CEO’s

AEW World Championship Match

Bryan Danielson (C) defeated Jack Perry via Pinfall (27:35)

Chris/Jey says: In the Co-Main Event Bryan Danielson defeated Jack Perry to retain The AEW World Heavyweight Championship in his first title defense. I’m really liking Jack Perry’s persona right now especially as part of The Elite. Since leaving AEW there was a lot of time for AEW to book Jack Perry the way they wanted him to be. I was surprised there were no CM Punk Chants from the AEW Galaxy during this championship match. I liked that they booked Jack Perry strong, but in my opinion it was too early for Jack Perry to be competing for a high profile Championship. I liked the post match ending as BCC minus Wheeler Yuta betrayed Danielson and beat him down.

From what it looks like we’re in for a Blo…I mean Blackpool Combat Club Civil War. The question is, who will side with Bryan and Yuta against Mox, Claudlio and PAC?

Tiki says: The first title defense of the new AEW World Champion is against Jack Perry, and it’s actually a good choice in my opinion. Jack Perry has improved a lot in the last months since he went to New Japan Pro Wrestling and became the “Scapegoat” of Professional Wrestling. It was a good match between these two superstars and fun to watch with Daniel Bryan retaining the AEW World Championship against a very well and strongly booked Jack Perry. 

Chris/Jey Rating: 4.5 out 5 Taco Bell ads

Tiki Rating: 4,5 out of 5 running knees

Lights Out Unsanctioned Steel Cage Match

“Hangman” Adam Page defeated Swerve Strickland (w/ Prince Nana) via KNOCKOUT (31:30)

Chris/Jey says: In the main event Adam Page took on Swerve Strickland in an Unsanctioned Steel Cage Match.  This the 4th match including Blood and Guts that these two faced each other. This feud became very personal as Swerve Strickland invaded Adam Page’s house last year and in return, Adam Page..well you have to see it for yourself. You can probably find it on YouTube or X. AEW also added the “Lights Out” stipulation as they turn off the lights before the match. This was another, great match as lots of weaponry was used. 

The Chemistry between the two is perfect as AEW trusts these two to perform dangerous spots and bumps.There were a ton of great moments during the match like the cinderblock, but most importantly, Adam Page giving Swerve Strickland anesthesia numbing his mouth. After he continuously hit him multiple times with the chair putting Swerve out of commission ending the match. Now we wait to see if this feud continues or do they move on.

It’s going to be interesting to see where this feud leads to going forward. 

Tiki says: it’s time for the main event and it’s time for the Unsanctioned Steel Cage Match between Hangman and Swerve… at WrestleDream 2023 a feud started that nobody had on their bingo cards between two Superstars that would do everything to win. Since WrestleDream a lot has happened, especially in 2024 these two faced off another 4 times (every match with Blood and Guts) and made this feud very personal. The last piece in the puzzle was the Dynamite Episode before ALL OUT (watch it.. I won’t spoil it here). AEW announced this match as “Lights out” Match which basically means they turn out the lights before the match to make it unsanctioned.

It was another great match between Adam Page and Swerve Strickland with many fans invested into the feud between the two superstars. All the matches between Page and Swerve delivered and they created a great chemistry and “trust” to do dangerous spots and bumps in the match. If you like Extreme Rules Matches, this match could be indeed your match of the year contender in my opinion especially with the chairshot knockout finish. 

The biggest question now… was this the last match and the last chapter between these two? Or will we see another match between two of the best Superstars on the AEW Roster and in the world of Professional Wrestling.

Chris/Jey Rating: 5 out 5 Stars

 

Tiki Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

honorable mentions 

• Jack Perry’s Contra Unit’s security guards

• Blackpool Combat Club Civil War

(C) = Champion | (00:00) Match Time