Wednesdaymania 305: What's Up In Wrestling?

In Which I Discuss Wrestling News

What is new in the world of wrestling this week?

WWE

• Edge came back, which I have mixed feelings about because he looks great but he's doing a bunch of spears when that's what destroyed his neck not that long ago. Still, my younger sibling likes Edge, so maybe this will get a bunch of people back into wrestling.
• I hear Booker T is getting back in the ring! Originally, I'd heard that he was going to be doing this on WWE, but it turned out that he's going to be getting back in the ring in his  G.I. Bro gimmick in his own promotion instead. Awesome. Hope he's feeling alright.
• I'm really pleased that WWE let Drew McIntyre win, not surprised that Charlotte won the women's rumble, hope that Asuka at least looked strong despite her loss to Becky Lynch (who, btw, still rocks as champ).
• Looks like literally all of my favorites are injured right now. Vince, people do actually need rest. Just because a previous generation literally crippled themselves for your profits doesn't mean that this generation should have to.
• I'm slowly catching up on NXT! Very slowly. Bear with me.

NWA

• I love Powerrr
• I'm still not 100% on board with this whole Question Mark gimmick, but people seem to love it, so that's cool
• Ricky Starks, Eli Drake, and Nick Aldis continue to be incredible
• I like the raucous crowds and how the wrestlers all interact with each other, the crew, and the crowd to create a very intimate show that feels incredibly accessible while also running very smoothly
• Sean Mooney is on the show now, and that makes both myself and my partner very, very happy. Guy sounds like a million bucks.
• Digging the Nick/Marty storyline
• Thunder Rosa = $$$

NJPW

• Kota Ibushi comes first on this list of news, not because he's a wrestling god (which he is), but because in addition to the fairly sever flu he's suffering, he also tore the area between his esophagus and his stomach. While this is an uncommon injury, it's also one that can be healed with rest and likely switching to a bland diet until it's recovered (maybe don't put wasabi on an open wound?). Best wishes for Ibushi's speedy and complication-free recovery!
• I still miss Liger, but his Twitter page is a riot, so if you need to smile, go check him out!
• I hope that both Karl Fredericks and Will Ospreay recover from their injuries quickly. Ospreay broke his foot during that barn-burner he had with Hiromu Takahashi. Fredericks suffered an injury to his right shoulder and has to miss the rest of the New Beginning USA shows. Boo.

AEW

• That Rock n Rager @ Sea thing was incredible. I've never seen wrestling on a cruise ship and did not expect it to be as incredible as it was! And it was incredible!
• I was not expecting Mr. Goody-Goody himself, Brandon Cutler to pull the move he did during this week's episode of Dark, but I'm glad to see the Dark Order getting its hooks into someone as close to the Bucks as him. Nice Storytelling.
• I am a bit concerned that we're going to discover that the big bad in the Dark Order is secretly JR, though. There were a couple of moments in Dark where that might have occurred to me. It's too bad it's not Marty, but hey, if someone offered me the chance to book a wrestling promotion and dropped six figures on me, you'd better believe I'd take it.
• I love the dynamic everyone has with Marko Stunt. I knew the guy was money when I first saw him, and I'm glad I wasn't wrong. Also, it's nice to have a wrestler to look up to who I don't have to physically look up to. We're about the same height.
• This show is just plain great, and I am really loving the way Tony Schiavone gets treated on BTE and Dark. It's good to see him (and really, most people working for AEW!) looking so healthy and genuinely happy to be at work. It's not something I am used to after having watched so much WWE.
• I am eager to see who else joins the roster, now that this new deal is inked and such.

On the topic of Sumo, it's a little harder to follow this season, so I don't have much to add besides this:

Sumo is good, and I like it.

Alright, that'll about do it for me today!

Go Enjoy Something!

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