Thank you everyone who donated on last night’s episode of QuizzleMania, where you helped
raise £6,678 for the Mayo Clinic, whose facilities treated Brodie Lee before his passing late
last year.
Which is way over the £5,000 target where Tempest would have to get a Jam that Jam tattoo.
You’re the best.
You can still donate using the link in the video description below.
Shortly before last Friday’s episode of SmackDown, Roman Reigns reportedly nixed his
‘Special Request’ segment, despite WWE’s social media already advertising it - with
him and Paul Heyman instead booking another show closing beatdown of Kevin Owens.
And it’s turned out that Special Request segment wasn’t just D-Jey Uso playing music
tracks for the ThunderDome.
That is a freaking fantastic pun!
In fact, it seems the originally planned segment might have included a rather huge main roster
debut.
The ever-reliable WrestleVotes tweeted: “Just heard an interesting story...
NXT talent was slated to be called up to SmackDown last week, as of showtime, was written into
the main event segment w/ Reigns, Uso & KO.
Said talent is on tonight’s big NXT card so curious to see if it was pushed a week
or scrapped altogether.”
Fightful Select then added, “We can't speak to his participation in the storyline, but
Fightful has learned that Damian Priest was being planned for a call up as of earlier
this week.”
The ‘big NXT card’ that WrestleVotes spoke of was last night’s New Year’s Evil, which
saw Karrion Kross defeat Damian Priest in a very physical bout on the show.
A loss that could potentially foreshadow Priest being called-up imminently.
What do you think WWE’s original plans for Damian Priest in the SmackDown main event
could have been?
Let me know in the comments where I’ll be replying to people FROM OUTTA NOWHERE saying
no, Vince McMahon, Damian Priest isn’t Samoan, he’s Puerto Rican.
But as we always knew, the answer isn’t in building new stars.
It’s about bringing back part-timers!
While this week’s Legend’s Night special episode of Raw was critically panned for unnecessary
nostalgia cameos and Goldberg making his latest return to challenge for a top title, the show
drew an average of 2.13 million viewers, which is the first time the Monday show has broken
the 2 million barrier since the post-SummerSlam episode on August 24th, putting it amongst
the highest-rated episodes since the lockdown era began.
Of course, the last time Goldberg caused a ratings bump, WWE changed their long term
WrestleMania plans and had him beat The Fiend for the Universal Title.
Run Drew, run as fast as you can! Goldberg can only do short bursts of activity, you’ll
get away fine.
But while WWE are looking back to the 90s, AEW are looking back to the 2010s, as last
night’s episode of Dynamite saw a surprise Bullet Club reunion.
Here’s my review… in about 5 minutes.
JR opened Night 1 of AEW’s two week New Year’s Smash event with an intro I hope
he keeps for every week: “It’s Wednesday night, you know what that means” - a subtle
reminder of the great Brodie Lee.
The commentary for the entire show, actually, which had Chris Jericho as a fourth man, was
terrific.
The opening match was a fun, fast-paced 8 man tag of the Young Bucks and SCU against
The Acclaimed and Hybrid2.
Hey, I can rap as well.
AEW are doing a very good job of steadily building The Acclaimed alongside these established
acts.
Although their opening rap said they’re the John Cena, and the Young Bucks were the
Janettys.
I’m not sure that’s how that tag team metaphor works?-[JUMP CUT INTERRUPT]
After Matt Jackson awesomely combined with Christopher Daniels for a Best Meltzer Driver
Ever combo to win, Kaz reminded us all that SCU’s next tag loss means they’ll break
up.
Which gives some serious steaks to them challenging for the Bucks’ tag team titles.
The Go Big Monster Truck debuted to not only promote TNT’s new talent show, but also
hopefully to build a Monster Truck tug of war on top of a skyscraper match [USE HOGAN
VS GIANT IMAGE].
Maybe Cody loves WCW too much.
[SAME IMAGE SCREEN] For the first time in a month, Moxley made
his first full AEW appearance since losing the AEW Championship to Kenny Omega, where
he cut a fantastic promo putting over how he protected the integrity of the top title
during his reign.
I believe him, and there is no greater currency in a fake sport, than credibility.
He teased helping Fenix in the main event if Omega tried to cheat.
Dasha alert!
Chuckie T revealed Trent is out for 4-5 months, and then rashly accepted a match with Miro
where if he loses, he’ll have to become Miro’s young boy.
Chuckie has so much untapped comedic potential, I hope that happens.
After a months long feud built almost entirely on eye f******, Wardlow and Jake Hager finally
unleashed their sexual tension the second best way men know how: fighting.
What I loved even more than the meat clash - which included a Swanton Bomb from Wardlow!
- was how this presented the Inner Circle as an honour-based heel faction, where they
can fight each other for supremacy without any hint of them splitting - storytelling
that was massively helped by Jericho on commentary.
Wardlow really impressively won with the F10.
MJF sincerely gave Hager a pep talk backstage to cheer him up later on.
Because wrestling has had quite enough contract signings, Brian Cage and Darby Allin had a
weigh-in ahead of TNT title match next week - which put Cage at over 100 pounds more than
Allin, while Taz yelled “Solid Muscle!”
Sting came out before Team Taz could do their usual beatdown.
Marko Stunt subbed himself in for Luchasaurus to challenge FTR for next week.
Big Money Matt worked out Private Party’s contracts, which includes them keeping their
own Cameo accounts (WWE reference *wink*).
And then Snoop Dogg, really committed his Just Eat promotion deal, delivered them some
juice backstage.
Snoop was also on hand for Cody Rhodes’ match against Matt Sydal, not only providing
a rapped over version of his entrance music, but also playing the Arn Anderson coach role.
Sydal and Rhodes had a really solid TV match, which Cody won with two CrossRhodes.
And then out came the Big Dog.
Not that one.
[REIGNS SCREEN]
Serpentico and Luther attacked Cody after the bell because of some friendly fire at
ringside during the match, which was all a way to set up some high quality sports entertainment.
Snoop Dogg climbed to the top rope to hit a splash on Serpentico!
Well, I say ‘top rope splash’.
I actually mean, ‘gentle hop off and lay down.’
You’re exposing the business, Snoopy Snoop Lion Dog Dizzle.
That was a perfect way to use celebrity cameos.
It looked fun.
In some great variety formatting, the tone changed completely next for an awesome Abadon
vs Shida horror match.
Abandon sat rat back up after being whacked with a kendo stick, and then dragged Shida
under the ring, and then implied she ate a bit of her neck.
This was really effectively done.
Shida retained, but this helped put over Abadon in defeat.
And as if all that wasn’t enough, the main event was a Match of the Year contender of
Fenix vs Kenny Omega.
They had a fantastic bout, with Omega giving just enough to Fenix to make it look like
Rey could actually squeak out a victory - just as he did against Pengaton at 2018’s All
In.
Fenix shone brilliantly here, getting a crazy speed dive into the guard rails, a moonsault
German suplex on Kenny’s head.
And an amazing handspring kip up off a V Trigger into a superkick.
This is what a great heel champion should do.
Making you want to see his opponents beat him.
But Omega is inevitable.
He caught a Fenix moonsault in a Tiger Drive 98, and then hit a One Winged Angel to win
- although some say Rey’s shoulder was up.
It was hard to cover that, though, as there were 7 minutes left of the show.
And AEW have now taken New Japan’s New Year’s Dash surprises for their own.
Moxley ran down with a barbed wire bat o save Fenix from Omega, but was then attacked himself
by the AEW debuting, current IMPACT tag team champions the Good Brothers - Doc Gallows
and Karl Anderson!
The Super Elite is in AEW!
A few of the ringside wrestlers tried to save Mox, but they were just Elite fodder.
And just when you think it couldn’t get any better… the Young Bucks ran down and
helped!
It was done in such a way, though, where they did seem conflicted and tried to talk reason
into Omega, hesitantly raising their hands for the show-closing Too Sweet.
AEW are so good at giving you a surprise you kinda expected - like the Good Brothers turning
up, that was just a matter of time - but then going one further and adding a layer of complexity
- like having the conflicted Bucks also join them to embolden the new inter promotion Super
Elite faction.
Because New Japan own the Bullet Club name.
Karl Anderson then tweeted a picture of them all wearing championship gold with the hashtag
4Life, the Bullet Club catchphrase without saying ‘Bullet Club’ - getting a headshaking
reply from the actual Bullet Club’s Tama Tonga.
And in a post-show interview, Don Callis told Alex Marvez that Kenny will team with the
Bucks in a six man tag next week.
The band are back together, ahead of IMPACT’s Hard to Kill pay-per-view next Saturday.
What did you think of AEW Dynamite?
Let me know in the comments, and follow @WrestleTalk_TV to vote in our poll on a poll match - where
66% of you rated the show excellent, one of the highest proportions we’ve ever had.
And I agree.
This is comfortably one of the best shows AEW have ever done.
And it’s only night one of New Year’s Smash.
Great matches with Wardlow vs Hager and Omega vs Fenix.
Fun sports entertainment with Snoop Dogg.
And an industry changing Bullet Club reunion to start the year.
I unabashedly, unapologetically love this company.
This week’s Dynamite is 4 out of 4.
The backstage Raw chaos behind Goldberg’s return has come out - click the video on the
right for the full situation explained.
And watch our Brodie Lee charity episode of QuizzleMania by clicking the video below that
- where you can still donate at the link below.
I’ve been Mr Davis, Jam that Jam.