Greetings and salutations, and all that shit. We’re back for another installment of the Mop-Up, and I’ve got the cold from hell so I’m in a pretty bad mood. WWE was off this week, because Chairman Murrey had something going on (I honestly forget what at this point, but either way, it just means I’ve got less to cover so I’m not complaining… about that… I do reserve the right to complain about other things, however…)
Anyways, PWI & HCW were in direct head-to-head competition with Dynamite this week, and as has been the story of the era, PWI came in last place, losing to HCW, who took second, and AEW in first. I’d make a joke about this, but I honestly think PWI is going to be a beast in the final stretch of May, and I don’t want to have to eat my words for being too braggadocios. (That word apparently has two “g’s,” who knew??)
Speaking of G’s, this week we learned that E-Dawg, aka Dr. Evil, aka the VP of MMouse Enterprises – well, his relationship with the Mouse family goes back further and deeper than previously known. Lenny Mouse, in his thorough column on “What Happened to Minnie Mouse?” recalled torture, both physical and emotional abuse, and a ruthlessness that really sheds some light on WHY Mickey & Benny (and Vinny and Lenny, to a lesser degree) turned out as they did. Lenny also revealed that the brothers have a sister – Mickie, who they were raised to believe was their cousin! This is a pretty big reveal, and although I’m not quite sure how it’s going to play into the demise of the PWI, I suspect it’ll have a part. (If not, why reveal it at this late stage in the era?) All this to say, I love Mouse family lore, but my only complaint is why not have this reveal on TV? It would have been ratings gold!! Also, who names their twins the same fucking name?!? No wonder these mice are so fucked in the head!
Anyways, the story of the night on HCW’s Mayhem was Scott Nash demanding the roster make a decision on whether or not they’ll work with him and Catherine, or if they’d rather be doomed to play out their dreams of getting back to the HCW’s 4th Era stature with their little house in Columbus. Ted Brown returned to set up a match between the two, and although I don’t love this civil war storyline (because, as noted, their best chance of survival means compromising with Catherine and letting the HCW die/live on in the “Extreme” league of UWA) I will give the company props for keeping me engaged all night long.
I’m also looking forward to the impending showdown between Hash and Duxen for the Extreme Championship, though part of me wants to see Hash lose so he can come home to BWM Inc. (Did I say that out loud?!?)
The Neck Breakers had a hilarious title defense against the Hardcore Giants, who were at one time the funniest tag team in wrestling. Now that title goes to the champs, and they left the giants in a pile of their own broken bones to retain the gold.
Ted DiBiase Jr. had his first successful title defense against LA Knight, and while it’s nice to see Ted 2 (the person, not the movie) finally get some momentum in his career, I can’t help but hate seeing Knight take another loss. Remember back in the fall when I thought he was coming in as a mega star? More like mega jobber, am I right folks?
We got the setup for Dragonfly’s rematch with Ted tomorrow night on Asylum, and I’m curious to see if the bookers really have the greatest world champion of the era eat two back to back losses to a guy who never won a singles bout in BWM Inc. I suspect we’ll get some shenanigans, perhaps from Mystico/Krusader or the Million Dollar Corpoation.
On Asylum, PWI’s Monday show kicked off with Lenny’s emotional plea to Mickey that something is wrong with Vinny – that he’s suffering from the same thing that took their mother’s life. Mickey didn’t seem moved, as he felt it was all a plea to manipulate him. Carmelo Hayes debuted, and proclaimed that he’s here to make sure the industry is in good hands regardless of how the war ends, even if it means going to AEW or WWE. I’m excited to see what Hayes is going to bring to the PWI, but I wish this would have happened a month ago when we still had time to build a new star from the ground up. That said, if Hayes takes a prominent spot in the last few weeks of MMouse Enterprises, he’s going to be a fairly attractive draft prospect for whatever companies are around to participate.
Attitude lost the Premier Championship to the ghost of Seth Rollins, who hadn’t been seen in months. Of course, he did so due to Teo’s involvement, but I’m not sure this feud needed this twist. The audience was already hot for Teo & Attitude’s impending bout, and the whole tournament lasted forever just to crown a champ who loses in his first defense? Dafuq is this? It’s the closest I’ve come to rioting since I was put on my medication to keep my mood stable!!!
The Cult of Bliss continued to remind Mickey of his deal with Alexa, although I think the message was already pretty loud and clear. They keep teasing Sister Abigail, and if she’s not a real person (perhaps even Mickie Mouse – the lady version???) I’m gonna be pretty pissed. In fact, that just came to me and I’m betting I’m not too far off! (Watch as they scramble to make me look wrong!)
We get a rematch from Hell Hath No Fury, minus Megan Mouse’s involvement, and Charlotte picks up a victory over Nikki Bella. Nikki started the era strong, and even started her stint in PWI in a pretty good place, but man has she fallen off lately!
I’m not gonna spend too much time on Jade/Catherine, because in my opinion although this subplot has a TON of potential, last Monday was all about establishing it, and it’s far too early to judge it as a success or failure just yet.
In one of the best segments of the night, we got a sit-down interview with Rip and Lawrence Mason. Rip finally explained his motives for the feud with Slammu, and I truly have no complaints other than I wish this would have happened two weeks ago. (Are you noticing a theme?) Other than that, this was golden. I can’t wait to see their match at Global Conflict V, it’s going to steal the show!
In the main event, Matt Cardona got another win over Randy Orton and I’m finally putting my dreams of an Orton/Dragonfly/Championship Program to bed. I don’t understand why we got a year of build if there was going to be no payoff, but I like Cardona and he’s a still on the rise, and it’s not like Orton can’t recover from a few months of losses. That said, I’m not sure Cardona/DiBiase Jr. is the money match here that the bookers may think is. I suppose time will tell!
On tap for this week, we’ve got the final episodes of Asylum and Mayhem (and maybe some programming from the WWE? IDK, I’ve heard rumors that Murrey is wanting to coast by to the end of the era and do a hard reset with the draft, but I haven’t confirmed that.)
On Asylum we’ll get a Premier 8 women’s match, aka the Massacre 6 match with two more people. I’m betting on either Molly Holly or Paige to win the International Championship shot, with Toni Storm and Thunderosa as my dark horse pics.
In the War to Settle the Score, we’re getting Phobe vs. Brian Cage. Not gonna lie, I kind of forgotten about this feud, but I suspect Cage wins.
Then we get FRED vs. Giant Gonzales, and this one’s gonna be the TRUE war. I don’t know how it’s gonna go, but GG as I call him is in need of a win so he’s my choice.
In the main event we’re getting the DiBiase/Dragonfly rematch I referenced earlier, and I could honestly see them hot-shotting the title back to Dragonfly, but if that’s the case, I’m gonna have a whole lot of ranting to do. Either way, they stole the show two weeks ago and I suspect they’ll do it again.
Over on the finale of Mayhem, we’re getting Flair vs. Morgan for the International Title, and although I like Liv a lot, I think it’d be a shame to end Charlotte’s reign so soon (This is what I meant a while back when I questioned why they’d introduce two new belts at this point in the era – unless they’re setting up for the 7th Era, this all seems like a giant time-suck to me.) I know, I’m being especially bitchy tonight, but I told you I was sick!
I already told you all how I feel about Duxen vs. Hash, so I’m not gonna repeat myself.
In the main event, we get Brown vs. Nash, and I REALLY hope Nash wins to give the alliance with Catherine a little bit of steam!
And finally, on Dynamite tomorrow night, we’re getting a big show for the 25th episode (which is actually the 27th episode due to the “lost episodes,” but I digress)
We’re getting Rousey vs. Star – the hottest women’s feud of the start of the era in BWM Inc. Rousey’s had a rough go of it lately, and has declared herself for the draft. Star’s undefeated in 2024, so there’s a lot on the line in this one!
We’re also getting Hogan & Riddle vs. The Samoan Connection, and I need not remind you of how tense things have been between the Bloodline and High Minded the past few months, most recently with the Usos attacking Lady Love at a burlesque club and the High Minded boys sicking Mr. Moody on the Usos in a grocery store!
Then, we’re getting Roman vs. Scott Steiner, a warm-up as Roman heads into Retribution to challenge MJF for the World Heavyweight Championship. Will Big Poppa Pump fair better than Wardlow did a few weeks ago, or will MJF be smacking Steiner in the face when it’s all said and done?
And, in the main event, in a Falls Count Anywhere match, we’re getting Darby Allin and Brock Lesnar 2, the rematch from Genesis. Darby’s promised that if Lesnar plans to take him to hell, he’s gonna drag him down with him!
So, yeah! That’s it for now, I’ll be back next weekend with more wrasslin’ content!
World Of Wrestling: Murrey Universe 