Mission 009 – AEW’s Aftershock and More!
Hello again, my fellow fans of professional wrestling! Did “Bash in Berlin” take place, as scheduled? I don’t know, I need to check my Peacock subscription.
Anyways, I want to get right to it here and offer some thoughts on what AEW gave us last weekend and maybe a few quick remarks about what’s to come starting today.
If you will bear with me, this will not be as deep and insightful as you have certainly come to enjoy due to me – AGAIN – being attacked by a bout with a cold. I hate this time of year.
Anyways, back to AEW’s “Aftershock”, which aired a week before yesterday and hailed from Cleveland, Ohio at the stadium where the Browns play. Riding the momentum of the increase in interest in the industry, this particular PPV enjoyed the greatest ratings success of all time, and for a damn good reason.
For starters, we saw a great opening bout, which gave us a lot to enjoy, from the standard Acclaimed Rap to the triple threat battle for the tag gold, to a new set of champions in Theory and Waller, I left this feeling very sports-entertained! I knew that the Acclaimed was going to drop the titles soon, and there may be no better team to pass the torch to than A-Town Down Under, but now I am wondering what is next for FTR and the now-former tag champions.
We now know that the new champions will be defending against Jurassic Express, but I would be incredibly shocked if the boy and his dino picked up the win there!
What came next was a segment wherein Sami Zayn was arriving on the scene and met by his wife and business partner, Megan. Sami seemed more confident than he has in quite some time, and we will get to why at the end of the event.
The second bout of the match was the long-awaited battle between Kenny Omega and “Hangman” Adam Page. A great match with the right finish. All in all, this was Omega’s chance to prove himself once again. Now, we’re probably not going to see Page for a little while, but Omega’s journey is just beginning. I foresee a world title opportunity very soon.
If it weren’t for match number four, the third match of the evening would have stood out as the match of night, as Maxwell Jacob Friedman completely decimated Armageddon in shocking fashion! It’s not as if Armageddon wasn’t fearsome here, but MJF was motivated and riding a rush of adrenaline brought about by his rage. Armageddon, like Page, will very likely be gone for a minute, but MJF most certainly put himself back into title contention with this performance!
Now, we get to the unquestioned match of the night pitting Bryan Danielson against the debuting Will Ospreay! This one more than lived up to the hype, but I don’t want to lie: I NEVER doubted that Will was winning this one. Sure, there were some moments that had me almost considering changing my prediction, but each time I had to remind myself of the price tag of Willie’s hyper-expensive contract. If you missed the PPV, make sure you go back and watch this one, because it will knock your socks off! Danielson had a hellacious showing and Will declared his talent to the world. It was incredible.
Next for Ospreay, we have been told that he will debut on Dynamite against Darby Allin. I hate to be that guy again, but I really don’t see Ospreay losing…just yet. It is worth noting, though, that this is I believe Darby’s first match of the era. So, it will be interesting to see.
Miss Athena Star and Toni Storm had their work cut out for them following THAT match, as Star defended her Knockouts Championship, but they made it worth our while all the same. While not as good as the previous two matches, this was still a great performance by the aging legend and the still-rising star of Storm. Star’s title retention was the right move, in my opinion, as she is likely to retire at this end of this run much like Dragonfly. I just wonder who the right person will be to pick up the torch?
In Aftershock’s Main Event, Sami Zayn was Brock Lesnar’s government mule for most of their match for the AEW Title until Zayn received some much-needed help from the Television Champion, Gunther, and his loyal follower, Ludwig Kaiser! With Kaiser and Gunther taking his side and helping him dispense with Lesnar – wrapping up a title opportunity which had been in the works since late-Spring, mind you -, Zayn seems truly unstoppable as he heads into Dynamite tonight to address the escape of Benny Mouse as well as the future of the AEW Championship.
Finally, as a sort of parting preview for AEW, we have learned that Sammy Guevara will take on Cody Rhodes just as they had with the first match in AEW history. I suspect that Sammy actually gets his win back here and sets up for a trifecta. I could be wrong, but this has the potential to be a good feud leading to a rubber match. It’s the least we can get for AEW bending over backwards to get Sammy back, right?
Now, let’s take a look at what ULW has in store for us in the week ahead! Since there were no live shows this past week in preparation for the upcoming week, the talent will be hungry for the opportunity to get back into the ring!
Extreme League (Aggression – 9.2.24)
Cora Jade takes on Io Shirai
Kicking off the first Aggression of ULW’s first Main Season will be the two women who were the final participants in last week’s Extreme Royale. Jade won the right to challenge the Women’s Champion by last eliminating former Women’s Champion, Io Shirai. Jade is going to try and show everyone that she has what it takes one-on-one against one of the best and without the element of surprise. Io, on the other hand, is trying to prove that she can still rise to the top by taking down one of the division’s fastest rising stars.
International Championship: Mandy Rose defends against Victoria
Mandy hasn’t had a televised title defense since capturing the title (with all of her defenses happening in the live tour), and her first televised defense is happening tonight against Women’s Wrestling Legend, Victoria! This championship is set to get a lot of exposure in the upcoming weeks, so this will be a great showcase of the soon-to-be workhorse championship of the division!
Extreme Championship: Seth Rollins defends against Eddie Guerrero
There has been a lot of buzz about Eddie ever since Chavo was mysteriously forced into retirement in AEW (or so it would seem), and the man refused to wait around any longer for an opportunity as he approached the Extreme Champion and politely asked for a shot at the gold. Seth, a man who truly wants to show the world that he can be a great champion and lead a division, obliged, and now we have this match to look forward to!
Aggression Main Event – Shot at the Undisputed Title: Jericho v. Page v. Dibiase
The Main Event of Extreme Aggression will see the aging (and once-rumored to be retiring) Chris Jericho shoot for the stars as he takes on the former Undisputed Champion, Dibiase Junior, and the newcomer, Ethan Page for a chance to challenge the Undisputed Champion! This match came about when all three men tried to present their case for why they should be Bray’s next challenger, forcing Chief Commissioner Lenny Mouse to announce this showdown. Make sure to tune in, because this one will be a match and show that you won’t want to miss!
Premier League (Animosity – 9.3.24 & Intensity – 9.6.24)
Carmelo Hayes v. Buddy Murphy
In a great opportunity to have a match of the week, Murphy and Hayes face off for the first time ever with Buddy’s televised debut in ULW and Carmelo’s first match since losing the Premier Championship jeopardy Premier 8 Match at Independent Intentions. Melo has been whining about “someone” costing him the gold at that special event ever since and he has been insistent that it was the injured Knight. Was it? Can he overcome this slump? We will see!
Women’s Championship: Jade Cargill defends against a mystery challenger
Some may feel exhausted with the whole mystery challenger thing, but it can be fun when done right, and while I have no clue who this challenger will be, I am confident that many of us are going to enjoy the reveal, whoever it turns out to be. Will Jade drop the title, ending the longest current ULW reign? Or will this dominance continue?
Alexa Bliss v. Ronda Rousey
Yes, this rematch really is happening, and it is taking place this Friday night! On the premier of “Intensity”, Alexa Bliss looks to get her win back from the woman she eliminated in the Extreme Royale after her shocking return! With these two former world champions squaring off, all bets are off!!
Tag Team Championship: Proud N’ Powerful defend against the Bludgeon Brothers
To top of the week in televised wrestling for ULW, the champions have quite the daunting task: surviving against the Bludgeon Brothers as they come down from the high of disposing of their arch-rivals, the Young Bucks (which earned them this chance at gold). I have a feeling that Harper and Rowan won’t be so reckless in blowing another chance at being champions like they did nearly three months ago!
Well, that does it for me today, hopefully I am feeling more capable of doing a more thorough mission next time around (health, be damned)!
Until our next Quest, this has been Johnny with yet another mission!
World Of Wrestling: Murrey Universe 