BUSINESS CASUAL VADER

Ten years ago today I went to an NXT house show highlighted by Samoa Joe’s shocking NXT title win. Still one of the best live shows I’ve seen. If you made a Takeover out of Girard/Ciampa, Andrade/Aries, Asuka/Bliss, AA vs FTR, and Joe/Balor it would have been very well received.

Oh yes the infamous Reviving Elbow. The Butcher knocks out Hogan with the sleeper and Randy Savage drops an elbow on his partner to wake him up. There is a logic to this, Hogan always Hulked Up after prior elbows, so why not one where Savage is a friend instead of a foe?

Terry nooooo

So now that WrestleMania week is (essentially) over, who won the week? Meaning, what wrestlers or companies are you going to think about if someone brings up Mania week 2026? Is there anyone?

Despite everything, there is still a part of me deep down that roots for Punk, and I’m glad he’s getting his actual WrestleMania main event.

Thanking the good Lord above I declined my wife’s offer to put Mania on the television and kept watching on my phone.

Commentary right now

So far the WWE on ESPN run has yielded Survivor Series, Royal Rumble, Elimination Chamber, and Mania Night 1. Even if you’re a big WWE fan you have to admit this hasn’t exactly been a Rumble ‘01 to Mania X-7 kind of run.

WrestleMania review

Iron Sheik at Mania 17 got to the ring faster than Randy

It’s too bad WrestleMania is after April 15th because there’s enough time in between matches to do the taxes of your entire extended family.

Rollins is probably my least favorite wrestler around but You Gotta Hand It To Him that was his best match in forever. He didn’t act like a moron and he and Gunther beat the hell out of each other. Interference is what it is but whatever

There’s no 2 on 2 tag matches on either night of Mania. There’s a 6 man tag and a 4 way women’s tag title match but no traditional tag matches. Fraxion and the MCMG have a match on Thursday afternoon in a warehouse. Oh well

Daisuke Sekimoto’s finisher is so powerful that reality blinks out for a second

The Evolve intro usually ends with quick shots of the men’s and women’s champions winning the titles and posing with them. Last night showed Wendy Choo winning the belt, which is weird because she won the belt that night, so they spoiled their own main event. OOPS

AEW Men’s: Darby Allin
Women’s Champ: Thekla
TNT: Kevin Knight
TBS: Willow Nightengale
Men’s Tag: FTR
Women’s Tag: Bayne/Kross
National: Jack Perry
international: Kazuchika Okada
Continental: Jon Moxley
Trios: Strong/Orange/Kyle

That’s a lot of titles (but I like the champs)

I think Darby is the first wrestler to hold the AEW World, TNT, and tag titles. I remember watching him in Evolve, who would have guessed he would become such a successful national wrestling star?

More stellar WrestleMania press as the AV Club decries the current state of wrestling games (and insult to injury, they show Goldberg beating up Triple H)

avclub.com/wwe-2k26-wrest…

Gorilla’s indignant “WHAT!!?” still makes me laugh to this day

Barbarian hits a sick looking Tombstone

“Men’s Teioh messing around with his scumbag friends” was one of my favorite genres for a bit. Those matches largely seen to have vanished though.

This was all that was in the Raw email preview. Big night for guys standing around.

WCW YouTube uploaded the (in)famous Bischoff/Russo reset Nitro, really a must see. Feels like an early John Waters film at times and not just because of what Hogan threatens Bischoff with.

AIR SEKIMOTO

Hijo Del Vikingo tries a dive on Penta and ends up eating shit

Vanvert Jack with the rope run DDT

OUCH

Amazing things are happening on WWE television