Mission 026 – The Mission? Looking at the week where the Bros fought back!
Ok, everybody, Johnny is back with another mission, and these things are stacking up faster than coins in front of a broken casino machine. I’m just sitting here producing content left and right as if my life depends on it…and it kind of does.
Seriously, Jacob Fatu threatened my life if I don’t keep up the pace…
ANYWAYS, let’s dive right in!
TEN. THE ORTON AND OSPREAY SPECIAL
Let me tell you, this was not an easy list to compile in a week chalk full of incredible moments worthy of hundreds of magazine articles. I had to leave a few things unmentioned, as you will see later, but I wanted to make sure that I made room for this incredible Dynamite Main Event bout pitting Will Ospreay against his childhood hero and former multi-time world champion, Randy Orton.
Coming out of the first year of Ospreay’s arrival in the big time and many fans were left still wondering who this guy was. Truth be told, outside of a few clips on YouTube, I had no clue who he was before he showed up last summer in AEW. Then, after Ospreay kind of underperformed as a ratings draw absent MJF, Brandon Lee, or Adam Page, AEW did the right thing by letting us get to know this young man via a sit-down with my buddy, Christopher Hyatte.
After reading the interview, I honestly came away more impressed with him than ever, and I seriously tuned into this match with Orton thinking Randy was going to take the “L”, but I was wrong. Truthfully, and this is 100% not a criticism for Ospreay, this was the right twist. For starters, Ospreay can’t afford to have TWO close world title shot failures (and we know he would absolutely lose to Lashley, as will Orton when they meet), and, secondly, this permits Will the opportunity to sort of mimic what we are seeing from Dragonfly right now. Time to climb to the top, not have it handed to you; which is seriously something the business needs to get back to.
Overall, though, I have no complaints about the awesomeness of this match or any other which took place on this show. Solid delivery, and looking forward to what comes next for all involved!
NINE. IS BIANCA BACK?
Speaking of the other matches, while I would love to take the time to address Ricochet’s standout performance against Swerve, analyzing that match was cut for time and space, but I felt it was imperative to talk about the aspiring “EST” of wrestling; Bianca Belair.
Once that bell sounded I knew that Molly’s days as Knockout’s Hardcore Champion were numbered. There’s simply no way you give Bianca a shot at a mid-card title and not have her walk away with it. The woman has been unfortunately overshadowed by Jade Cargill’s rise to prominence the last couple of years, but she has remained an important piece of this roster.
This bout was a nice way to remind the world that Bianca is still around and ready to seize control of the business. As for Molly, I don’t think this icon of the industry will soon be forgotten either. She had a taste of what it was like to hold gold again. For the first time since she held the PWI Women’s Tag Team Titles with Ivory, Molly felt alive, but this time she did it without a partner or a coach.
This time Molly felt like Molly again, and I think the rest of AEW’s ladies better watch out for what it means for the Knockout’s Title scene!
EIGHT. JESSE VENTURA’S LAST TITLE CHASE?
I toggled back and forth as to what or who I wanted to place here, but I ultimately settled on addressing this peculiar story regarding the Body’s last hurrah. Remember how I kind of shit all over Jesse winning the hyper-developmental brand’s title last month? I thought it was beneath Jesse, but I honestly got over my original misgivings and warmed up to the reign.
That was, until, Jesse lost the strap to Jesse “Zen” Hogan. The likely offspring of Retardo’s Mother and Bulk Hogan having a forbidden affair, Zen came strolling in with the backing of an embittered Flex Squad to ruin the 24th World Title reign of Mr. Ventura back on Wednesday. While I was stunned about the choice to dethrone him, I do have to say that it makes sense when you consider the role that the Flex Squad had been playing in the background of Jesse’s post-title win vignettes. Either way, I got a good laugh at the goofiness surrounding this moment, and am willing to give it a chance. Zen seems like a fun character, honestly. Let’s hope WWE doesn’t throw him aside like they did Baby Bobby, or whatever his name was…
Back to Jesse, and we see that he has set his sights on the World Heavyweight Champion, John Cena. Cena, for his part, just survived the dual challenge of Roman Reigns and Jon Moxley in a triple threat match (I expect more from Roman and Moxley’s feud in the months to come), and now he is poised to be the man standing between Jesse and a 25th world title reign???
I honestly don’t like Cena’s odds.
SEVEN. “HE’S COMING”
WWE has also been killing it with the surprise hit of Dexter Lumis and Erick Rowan. Calling themselves the “Wyatt Sicks” and repeatedly warning that somebody is “coming”. This is the part at which I must remind you that you are lucky that a professional like myself is typing this and not the current Supreme Leader or Anthony. Just saying.
On the surface, it appears that the group name hints at the arrival of Bray Wyatt, but that honestly seems very unlikely. However, there is much that we don’t know about Bray’s family, and the fact that they added Braun Strowman – a former Wyatt Family member from the PWI – should further hint at some kind of loose connection with the bane of Abby Mouse’s existence.
Giving that WWE is making a big deal out of the coming supershow in Perth on October 11th, something tells me that whoever “He” is will show themselves at that extravaganza. Then what? We’ll just have to stay tuned, I suppose.
SIX. TIMELESS ENCOUNTER
Another solid reason to stay tuned is this unfolding war between AEW’s Knockout’s Champion, Toni Storm, and the former two-time PWI Women’s Champion, Becky Lynch. The Man and the Show-woman met face to face for the first time on Monday, and each unleashed their best mic skills on one another!
Becky sought to help refresh everyone’s memories about where each of them came from, and that Becky is used to the pressure which accompanies being on top of the business. Meanwhile, Toni warned that she hasn’t just changed, but rather that she has “evolved” despite the best efforts of talent like Becky standing in her way. Toni is confident that her evolution into being her current self will sufficiently safeguard her from losing the strap to Becky, and I see no reason to disbelieve her.
Becky’s presence is awesome, and she has – as the kids say – “aura”. In other words, that “It factor” that so many stars have strived to attain but never come close to reaching. Even so, Becky will NOT dethrone Toni, at least not on this go around. Toni is safe for an extensive title reign which may rival Asuka’s, or at least Jade Cargill’s when it is all said and done.
Now, down the line? I can definitely see Becky taking the strap, but it is absolutely not in the cards right now.
FIVE. THE “SAD BOY”
One of the key reasons why WWE hasn’t been getting blown out of the water ratings-wise this season is the sneak-success of HBP’s quasi-redemption story. Look, I know that he was not drafted with serious intentions. Hell, for all intents and purposes, HBP’s shocking pick by WWE was likely made to upset the traditionalists in the ULW board room. However, he has been such a hit despite the attempted mockery of his storied legacy.
His recent twist in getting beat up by the D’Angelo Family and scared off from Chase U led him to seek refuge with the Flex Squad, who mocked his muscles. Then, he wound up practically crawling back to the catering section of the backstage, playing “woe is me” with Hurricane Helms. None of this was a downer. Instead, it was fun to behold, and it honestly has me cheering for his redemption!
The more HBP gets beat him, I cheer for his revival. The more he doubts himself, the more I demand he get a chance to shine once again. Will he become a world champion again? No, because I sincerely believe that those days are long gone.
However, I do believe that he will score a moral victory or two en route to the sunset of his career, and it will be well-worth the wait!
FOUR. “BILL GOLDBERG”
Everything with Bret Hart and Goldberg…excuse me, “Bill Goldberg”, has been pure gold! This week we got two hilarious segments featuring these two veterans of the industry. First, we witnessed Goldberg invading Bret Hart’s soon-to-be-condemned Hart dungeon, and failing miserably at it. The chaos of this scene was honestly some of the funniest shit I have ever seen!
Then, Bret expressed that he had finally had enough! Bret demanded that Goldberg meet him in Perth on October 11th to settle this once and for all, and I genuinely hope that Goldberg and Bret knock each other out and give us a reason for more of this insanity!
Perhaps WWE can help locate Vince Russo so that he can help resolve this feud with a “Cut it Out, Bros! Dead Stu on a Pole Match”!
THREE. CURIOUS CASE OF DOM AND BUDDY
From one odd case to another, we find the sleeper story of the summer. Look, a week or two ago, I would have laughed in your face if you had told me that a story involving Dominik Mysterio – you know, the guy who wasted a title cash-in on a mid-card title – and Buddy Murphy would make my top three stories, but here we are.
Now, to be frank, these two are only here because they are practically fighting over Rhea Ripley, and I really can’t blame them. Buddy is desperate to remind the world that while Dom “dates” Rhea, he – Buddy Murphy – actually gets to sleep with her. The lines are getting blurred more and more with each encounter, and these two honestly have me on the edge of my seat.
When considering how to rank all of the competition’s top stories for this week, I realized that there was no way that I couldn’t place this ongoing feud here. These guys are stealing the show, and they are doing so in shocking fashion! Bravo!
TWO. HIGH-MINDED MAYHEM
The always-entertaining shtick featuring the boys convened initially to justify a Kevin Nash push was excellent this week. From the moment I saw a semi-tranquil shot of everyone kind of quietly doing their own thing, I knew that chaos was coming. At first, I thought it was going to come in the form of Midgey saying something to offend Lady Love, but then Young Crock was brutally attacked by some mysterious person!
High-Minded sprung to action with inspirational speed and we soon see Matt Riddle emerge to join the confusion. Midgey violently accused Riddle of having something to do with it, and I immediately started to let the brain do its thing. You see, it is TOO OBVIOUS for Riddle to be the assailant. Instead, it is likely a compatriot or maybe even a henchman for hire associated with Riddle. Either way, this thing has only just begun, and I am already eagerly anticipating a follow-up!
Now, of course, Young Crock knows who attacked him, but he is likely entering into an extended “comatose” state for a while until the big reveal is safe to be…revealed. I stand by my initial prediction, but we’ll revisit this as more unfolds!
ONE. “SHOCKER!”
Finally, AEW wrapped an awesome evening of action and plenty more with the latest twist in the biggest saga that they have: all things Benny. The show kicked off with Splinter telling Bossman to keep an eye out for his brother Splidder who made history last week as the first superstar contracted with one company to directly appear on the programming of a competitor. In that footage, recorded hours before the Draft, Splidder revealed to Metalhead and the world that “He lives…”
Meanwhile, Splidder hasn’t been seen since, and Splinter was awaiting his arrival for a follow-up. But, instead of getting Splidder coming back to talk to his brother, we see Splinter’s other sibling, Shocker! Shocker appeared in the back of Splinter’s car telling him that they needed to talk, and Splinter looked as though he had seen a ghost!
Shocker has not been seen in a VERY long time. In fact, I am pretty sure that we last saw him during the late-Third Era. A ton remains to be uncovered regarding his extensive absence and whatever it is that Brodie Lee was telling Splidder that he was wasting his breath about.
No matter what is coming, you can color me intrigued, because this one continues to be a show-stealer!
HONORABLE MENTION: BRANDON’S GRAVE PROMO
Before we move on to discuss what is on tap for ULW tomorrow night, I wanted to offer this honorable mention to Brandon Lee’s vignette at the site of his mother and stepfather’s gravestone. Lee wasn’t proud about what he feels he has to do, and he even went further by stating that he is happy that his parents are gone so as to spare them the horror of watching what will happen to Sean. Sean and Brandon have a lengthy and violent history going back to their days in HCW, and this latest chapter is only going to add to the awesomeness of their tale!
ULW PREMIER AGGRESSION (8.11.25): WHAT’S ON TAP?
Extreme League Vacancy Match: Kiana James v. Thea Hail v. Nyla Rose v. Taynara Conti
Now, we shift gears from what was to what will be! Following Becky Lynch and Jade Cargill’s trades to AEW and WWE, respectively, a set of vacancies were created in the League Roster. So, to fill one of those vacancies, Lenny Mouse has slated this fatal four way match pitting four women in need of a chance to shine!
Kiana James brings her business acumen to the table as she squares off against the likes of the newcomer rookie named Thea Hail, the “Native Beast”, Nyla Rose, and the always-incredible Taynara Conti!
Shot at Tag Team Title next week: Jurassic Express v. New Catch Republic v. Street Sharks
Former champions all-around the squared circle as Pete Dunne, Tyler Bate, Jungle Boy, Luchasaurus, Slammer, and Rip all set out to see who will be next to face FTR for the tag team straps! The winning team will earn a shot next week, so they need to conserve a bit of their energy and fighting spirit for FTR after they are done here!
Undisputed Championship: Chris Jericho © v. Kevin Owens
Lastly, Chris Jericho is finally being forced to defend his Undisputed Championship against the man who conned him into help him win the gold at Starrcade; Kevin Owens! Owens picked up a shock victory over Bray Wyatt last week at the BroDown ShowDown thanks to Sister Abigail and FRED, but there’s no telling who is better prepared to go the distance that it will take to come out the victor here!
That does it for me this weekend, I will see you all tomorrow night for another great and exciting installment of AGGRESSION!!
Until our next Quest, this has been Johnny with yet another mission!
World Of Wrestling: Murrey Universe 