Royal Ramble 2023

So this took a little while longer than usual… because as it turns out, I had quite a bit to say.

First off, this show did huge numbers, so regardless of what I or anyone else has to say critically about the show itself, WWE is currently on a hot streak that I don’t think it’s had in a good long while. There’s some good stuff going on there right now and there’s actually a sense of hope that things will continue to get better despite the presence of some stuff that might hinder that a bit.

Now with that said, was the Rumble show any good? Well, let’s dive in.

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Original Pinky Not In Power Rangers Special… Get Over It

So in case you haven’t heard, they announced the upcoming MMPR 30th anniversary special to be airing on Netflix in April. The special, Once And Always, will feature David Yost, Walter Jones, Steve Cardenas, Johnny Yong Bosch, Karan Ashley, and Catherine Sutherland reprise their roles in a special that we see them don the spandex again and fight off against a new incarnation of Rita Repulsa to be voiced by classic Rita voice actor Barbara Goodson.

One name that won’t be coming back for the special is the one name most folks were hoping for. On a Twitter post shortly after the video teaser was posted, original Pinky Amy Jo Johnson had stated that “For the record, I never said no. I just didn’t say yes to what was being offered.” You can take this so many different ways, but the gist of it was that they made an offer for her to comeback and she wasn’t keen on what they were offering. Is there more to it than that? Probably, but it is what it is.

Naturally, people are going to be upset about AJ not coming back. I’m somewhat disappointed, but on the other hand, I understand and respect her decision. And the people egging on her for not showing up… yeah, get over it. Yeah, the show gave AJ her start and was, by her first admission, a great first job, but acting like she owes this franchise something after all this time makes you come across as one of those creeper fans that gave her nightmares in the first place. Her decision, her choice, get the fuck over yourselves and enjoy the show when it comes out.

Random Thoughts On… Jay Briscoe, PPV Musings, And The WWE Sale

First off, my thoughts and prayers to the family and friends of ROH wrestler Jay Briscoe, who passed away last night in a horrific car accident. Jay, along with his brother Mark, are best known for their run in Ring Of Honor, where they held the tag titles thirteen times. Jay himself is a former two-time ROH World Champion. I was never familiar with the Briscoes beyond word of mouth; they were a name I always hear mentioned, but nobody I’ve watched beyond that one Tony Khan ROH PPV last year, so… yeah, what do you say other than… Godspeed, Jay.

For anyone wondering when the PPV Musings are coming back, well, you’re going to be waiting a while because the first show I intend to muse would be the Rumble in a couple weeks, which is coincidentally when there’s going to be a new edition of the DTM-Cast. As to what we’ll be looking at afterwards… well, you’re going to have to wait a while to find out.

Regarding recent developments in WWE involving Vince coming back, people freaking out over rumored Saudi sales that were proven false, Stephanie resigning and what have you… well, things continue to develop and at this point, trying to add my five cents to a growing pile of junk only to get lost in the shuffle of continually falling spare change is destined to be nothing short of a fruitless endeavor… I have no idea what that means, but the point is that there’s no point in gathering any thoughts and we might as well let it play out and see where it goes… you know, like the usual WWE storyline bullshit that goes nowhere fast.

That’s pretty much all I’ve got for now.

Later.

AEW Dynamite (Jan. 11th, 2023) – No Mone To Be Found Here

Well, for anyone who gives a shit, the rumored Sasha Banks/Mercedes Mone debut didn’t happen during the Saraya/Storm vs. Dr. Britt/Hayter match. Instead, what happened was Shida tossed a stick into the ring and Britt used it against Storm. Shida appears shocked as a result, though I suspect she’s faking it because she still feels slighted that stupid Saraya slighted her last week. I don’t care how they’re promoting this; Shida’s the babyface in this story as far as I’m concerned and that’s the bottom line.

Other than that, there was some good matches on here. Bryan defeating that Takeshita fellow to up his win streak in a great match, Hangman killing (not literally, though it could’ve been) Mox in a glorified hockey fight (not complaining – those are my favorite), and of course, the Elite get their Trios belts back. Not a grand slam show or anything like that, but for those who appreciate good wrestling, you’ve got your share on this show… and that women’s match was a thing too.

AEW Dynamite (Jan. 4th, 2023): The Tokyo Dome Post Show

AEW Dynamite returns with a new look just after New Japan holds their annual Tokyo Dome Wrestle Kingdom show, which featured the long-awaited debut of Mercedes Mone – the former Sasha Banks – who challenged reigning women’s champion KAIRI to a match for the title by laying her out. Oh goodie, a Sasha Banks vs. Kairi Sane WWE-style match. That’s going to get me excited to watch New Japan.

In all seriousness, though, I wish her nothing but the best in her current endeavors, whatever they may be. Said current endeavors probably doesn’t include AEW, where she had been teased (and hyoed by fans) as Saraya’s mystery partner in her upcoming match against Dr. Britt and Jamie Hayter. And then we found out that said partner would Toni Storm, which Saraya announces while also sitting next to former women’s champion Hikaru Shida, who seemed somewhat miffed at this rejection.

I’m watching this scene and two thoughts come to mind; first off, those Sasha Stans are going to be pissed. And you know what? Fuck them. The other thought is that this blatant disregard for Shida on Saraya’s part leads me to believe that there is a possible heel turn in her future. Let me tell you folks something; Shida was the one being wronged here, so as far as I’m concerned, she’s the babyface.

Other than that, this was a pretty good Dynamite., which introduced a new look of having a bunch of screens show a bunch of lines in a bunch of colors. On the one hand, it looks fresh; AEW’s original set design was somewhat unique, but clearly something needed to change or at least be refreshed, especially if said set has been used for nearly every AEW show, including some of the PPVs. On the other hand, though, the new design being a bunch of screens reminds me of WWE’s own minimalistic set design, though nowhere near as massive. It’s something I’m going to eventually get used to, but it loses the uniqueness that AEW once had… which is something of a recurring ailment with the company in recent weeks.

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