The future is AAW. Sure, you have the alliance of NJPW, Impact, AEW. You have ROH. YOu have smaller places like GCW and MLW. Oh then there’s that place out of CT but we won’t discuss them. But of all the indie leagues, one stands above the rest. AAW. AAW is the future. It takes the storytelling elements from the bigger guys, the heart and soul of all wrestlers, and only some of the violence from some of the smaller guys, and rolls it into one neat little package. I’ve decided since I’m financially grounded from shows for a little bit, I’m going to focus on some of the wrestlers for a small weekly article. Except for Infamy. Fuck Infamy. Ok I kid, I’ll even cover them. Kayfabe-wise, they are a fantastic trio who know how to get the heat. In character, I hate their guts and hope Manders beats the hell out of them. Oh, wait he already did. But this week we’re going to take a look at Russ Jones. Next week will be the Walking Weapon himself, Josh Alexander. So, let’s get on with it!
Russ Jones. The man that has steamrolled all of AAW. The man whose “Welcome back to AAW” message was sent by 45 seconds of pure rampage. The man that took Xavier and made him look like a rag doll. At six feet, 220lbs of solid muscle, and tattoos, Russ is not a man to be taken lightly. In writing this article and doing some research, I found that in AAW, the man is undefeated. Russ Jones, ladies, and gentlemen, is the future of AAW. Before we go on, I realize he’s been wrestling since 2007 in over 209 matches, but we’re going to focus on AAW for Russ.
When I first saw Russ Jones in an AAW Alive taping before Crush and Destroy, I knew this man was the next big thing. He took big Xavier Walker, no small man himself, and speared him and took him down like he was nothing. At United We Stand, I saw him welcome back a wrestler by going in the ring before the main event, and just demolishing the dude who I am convinced didn’t know what hit him. His first AAW match that I could find listed was a handicapped 2v1 match, which, of course, he dominated. At only 32, the man has a long future ahead of him, and from what I’ve seen, not only can Russ Jones absolutely demolish you in seconds, but he can go the distance as well. A good example of this was AAW Alive #9 where Russ took out Tommy Vendetta in 3 ½ minutes. Now I realize that doesn’t seem like a long time, but considering most AEW matches top out at about five minutes, three is a pretty decent amount of time to be in a ring with a big man and slammed around.
Russ Jones is a versatile athlete as well, and a man his size should not be able to move with the absolute speed Russ Jones can. So why am I saying he’s the future of AAW? Because he is. But that’s not a good enough reason is it? I sure don’t think so. So let’s look at a couple of factors that make him stand out. First, the pros.
Speed: The absolute speed Jones has is a sight to behold. The way he slammed into Xavier Walker and literally lifted the man off his feet with the force of the impact is not something to be taken lightly. Considering Xavier has at least a full foot on Jones, it takes quite a bit to lift a man of his size up, and Xavier Walker is no small dude himself.
Strength: I’ve seen this man throw people around like rag dolls. When Braxton made his return at United We Stand, Russ came out and just flung him from corner to corner like he was a 30-pound sack of potatoes. Watching some of his older matches while writing this article, I’ve seen him take men his size and bigger and lift them up like they were nothing. His hits are absolutely devastating to anyone. When I saw him at Crush and Destroy, he nailed several hard clotheslines on his opponent that night, and the man’s chest was as red as Sting taking chops from Ric Flair back in the day.
Charisma: Sure Russ has a mouthpiece, but unlike people like say, Brock Lesnar, who needs someone like Paul Heyman to speak on his behalf, Russ doesn’t need that. Russ is a fantastic speaker on his own and has no problem saying what’s on his mind.
The Look: I mean have you SEEN this man? Tat’s head to toe, pure muscle, an absolute freaking beast. Russ Jones is the role model for “Badass” and “People not to piss off” as well as “People I never want to meet in a dark alley”. The look isn’t as important as the rest, but man, it sure doesn’t hurt to look like a complete and utter bad-ass.
The cons of Russ Jones are very, very few.
Size: Bigger men tend to get injured more, especially in the knees. The way Russ runs around the ring like a madman makes him more susceptible to knee injuries.
Piercings: While not something you would normally think of, someone could grab one of these to get an advantage. I recall a Randy Orton match where he took pliers and ripped out Jeff Hardy’s nose ring. This could be something that could happen to Jones if some dirty wrestler decides to do it, and with AAW’s no DQ policy, it’s a definitive danger to Jones.
Overall, ratings-wise I’d give Russ a 9/10, the only drawback is he hasn’t been showcased enough yet. But he shows a ton of promise, and I can easily see this man hoisting up the AAW title. This man has a bright future in AAW, and I can’t wait to see him perform more.
Next week we’ll talk about the Walking Weapon, and talk a little about his performance in Impact vs AAW, as I’ve seen him in both. After that, I figure we’ll jump around a bit, taking women and men, as well as tag teams. I can’t 100% promise a weekly article due to some things in my life right now but I am damn sure going to try! We’ll call this, AAW Career Run Down: <Wrestler> Special thanks to Rusalka_Rusalka who helped me come up with the name. Make sure to catch her on twitch streaming various games! You can catch me on the following:
http://www.glimesh.tv/riley_thomas
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